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Need ideas for a person with dementia that is hyper active
My sister is 73 and loves to walk and be active. She is still in independent living but easily gets bored. She can not drive so for the most part I take her everywhere I go. She needs something to do in her apartment besides watch TV and the birds on her balcony. No on puzzles and bingo! She is in the mid stage of…
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If you saw this Help Wanted ad, would you apply?
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Coping with hospice
Hello everyone, I’m new to this community. I (26 years old) have been a caretaker for my 86 year old grandmother for 6 years since her diagnosis was made (aphasia dementia). She has recently been declining, and just this evening my family had made the decision to begin hospice care for her. It was an emotional decision,…
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Need simple companion for someone in nursing home
I need some advice on finding the right companion situation. I can usually find answers to my questions by searching the other posts, but I couldn't find exactly what I needed this time. My mom has late-stage Alzheimer's & went into a nursing home about a year ago. It's a lovely facility with wonderful staff, especially in…
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Seeking Virtual Support Groups (Video or in real time)
Do these exist? Can someone provide links or info? I am going through some things, and I very much need some support. Not in writing, but in real-time conversation. Thanks!
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CBD
Has anyone in here given LO any CBD products? I was curious to see if anyone has had any luck using. My DH is having to use a medication for his anxiousness and thought that perhaps I could use as an alternative to so much medication. Any suggestions? Aroma therapy and massage only work so much…
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medical emergency bracelet
Hello, As sole caregiver for DH, im looking for a bracelet for me to wear n case i need medical assistance for myself. The choices are a bit overwhelming. The apple watch sounds too complicated, i need something where i can just press a button and get help. Any input would be helpful, as my DH wouldn't have a clue what to…
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Medicaid Assisted Living Waivers (originally from Michael Ellenbogen)
Michael Ellenbogen sent me this information on services Medicaid may cover: https://www.dementiacarecentral.com/medicaid/assisted-living-waivers
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The meaning of "Taking care of yourself"
I see a lot of messages about taking care of yourself, and I think I have a better understanding now. It's not just being selfish, but also to help yourself so you can continue being a caregiver, especially if you are a sole caregiver. Many people say not getting enough sleep is very important, but here are a few things…
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MC for my mom soon. Anticipating the guilt, worry, fears, & overwhelm will increase.
Haven't posted or read for a while. No excuses, but a lot of reasons. Honestly, life has just gotten really hard. My mom ( early - mod dementia) will likely be moving to MC soon and i need to share my fears. (She is in rehab community now.) Ive been told that it's the right move, AND that the responsibilities, feelings of…
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Michael Ellenbogen
Dear Michael, I hope you are doing well and that this will be a wonderful week for you. Can you please share any information on the Emergency Room protocols or guidelines you worked on in 2021-22 I believe? Or if they are posted somewhere online could you provide the link or other direction please? Thank you!
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Improving Emergency Care for People with Dementia (from Michael Ellenbogen via Lane)
Information from a group seeking to improve emergency care for people with dementia. https://gearnetwork.org/about-gear-2/
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I'm conflicted
Peggy's been in memory care now for close to two years, she's early-ish stage 7. There have been ups and downs, but mostly she's fit in well there, and she even kind of likes it there. There are definitely a couple of caregivers there who she's really bonded with. Over the last few months she's taken a strong dislike to…
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MIL is in MC but I’m still a caregiver
MIL is in MC and I’m the responsible party. I’m feeling overwhelmed. Family has either disappeared or doesn’t want to hear about it. I’m watching her decline pretty rapidly and need to share my terror which is why I’m writing this post. But at the same time I feel guilty because so many others have been caring for LO in…
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Truer words were never spoken
Like many of you, we are living with aphasia, which is the communication loss aspect of dementia. I am hoping the infographic 7As chart linked below will work, as it was helpful for me in earlier stages to learn so much that I did not know before we started living it. So, my really brilliant public speaker (all his life…
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Choosing a rehab- quickly!
Hi. Moms been in MC for a year and fell this week. She’s probably being discharged from the hospital Friday so we need a rehab for her, likely for 2 weeks. She’s in an odd spot the past 6 months where she can be fairly lucid and aware she has dementia. She can sometimes hold a good conversation and come off as pretty much…
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Experience with stove shutoff / forgetting about a stove.
My mother forgets that that a kettle is on the stove, or that a pot is left on. I got her a simple electric kettle that turns off by itself, but she doesn't want to use it and prefers to use a kettle on the gas stove. Do people have experience with devices like this "intelligent stove shutoff" that notices that a person…
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New lease?
MC has a new owner. Expecting a new lease sometime in the fall. My lease with the previous owner says a 2 person transfer is a cause for having to leave. I’ve been told there’s a hospice exception, but I’ve never seen that in writing. The new owner says the same thing, but nothing in writing. Have you any experience with…
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Getting mom with dementia to a doctor; what other options might we have?
My 69-year old mom has been increasingly showing signs of dementia for the last decade. She never saw a doctor for this (did not even discuss it with her PCP), until the situation exploded: about 18 months ago, she was basically having psychotic episodes in the middle of the night. It got so bad, she ended up in the…
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Look on the bright side?
I was especially frustrated with my DH so I told myself to think of 10 good things in our situation and I thought I would share. I admit some of these are sardonic but it was what I could think of! My DH has finally forgotten that I accidentally erased his entire digital music collection in 2006. I can tell all of my old…
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GI wants a colonoscopy. -- NOW THEY WANT A CT SCAN ON HIS LUNGS
I posted this back in July when they wanted to do a colonoscopy on my DH who is Stage 5 going into Stage 6 with Alzheimer's- Posterior Cortical Atrophy. Last week we spoke with an Endocrinologist about his diabetes. At the end of the conversation, the Endo doc mentioned that in a previous CT Scan of my DH's abdomen they…
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Sadness when self-aware of decline, but perhaps bliss when not aware?
It was sad when my mother became aware of her decline in memory, and she cried on my shoulder. She forgot where she left her house keys, and after looking everywhere, it was in a kitchen drawer. Not long afterwards, she lost her checkbook, which was right on the dresser. After these episodes she became very sad about her…
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tips for lowering care levels - let's share
I don't know if this is helpful but I found our MC to be helpful about proposing solutions to lower the care level where they could. For instance: My LO gets her washed every week at the beauty parlor on site. This was the MC manager's suggestion. My LO likes it and it makes them feel like its a treat and it avoid moving…
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does anyone have caregiving advice
Hi, I am caregiving for someone I just met who is very early alz. I have previous experience with caregiving and rehabilitation with people with various disabilities. I know that alzheimers can make people not realize that they need to eat, and I have tried to convince them they need eat to but they are adamant that they…
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Medicare Coverage for Leqembi via Michael Ellenbogen
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/statement-broader-medicare-coverage-leqembi-available-following-fda-traditional-approval
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Some help for Air travel with a PWD
My DW is well beyond the ability to travel. But I occasionally read here about caregivers who are concerned about air travel with their PWD. So I thought I would mention a program for air travel that I just became aware of. It is called the Sunflower Lanyard Program and is available at many US airports. An announcement…
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How do I get my mom back to MC when she won't go?
Placed my mother in MC a month ago and it's heartbreaking for her and I understand. My DW is deep into Alzheimer's as well and my mom can't stay with me. I know I should never take her out of MC but can't let her feel abandoned so I do. It's so locked down there that she can't even go outside into the locked courtyard for…
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I am not an official caregiver
My oldest and dearest friend has some type of dementia, not officially diagnosed yet, but I would say she's somewhere mid/late stage. She's been very evasive about talking about her medical care until very recently. She lives in assisted living and has no family in the area, and she's largely estranged from her out of town…
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Leqembi cost etc
So, at a cost of $90,000 a year for 5 months delay in Alz symptoms over 18 months of treatment(total cost for 18 months e $135,000) with possible catastrophic side effects. Am I the only one that finds this ludicrous?
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Cataracts & Glaucoma
Hi everyone, My mother is 84 years old in stage 5/6 Alzheimer’s. Her eye doctor says she has cataracts and glaucoma in both eyes, but couldn’t give us a sense of how quickly the conditions could progress. I expressed my concerns about whether my mother could handle the surgical procedures for both conditions given her…