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help(19)
So, does anyone have experience with Terminal Agitation? This term was brought to my attention yesterday by my dad's medical team. I've read a couple of articles and they describe my dad so accurately. This is him the past month..he weighs less than 97lbs, he's on hospise care, wheelchair bound but forgets and tries to…
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Decisions(2)
Mom had some forgetfulness and living with m who was able to be independent with getting in and out of chair and dressing etc. now since illness and in rehab Mom with needs a lot more cueing to do things such as ear or when walking which direction to go, needs to have assistance with hygiene and dressing. Now needs to be…
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Best wishes for the New Year
Caregiving is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I was blessed to be able to be by my husband's side on his Alzheimer's journey. DH passed in April 2022. I now assist in the care of my mother. The journey with my mother is different, because my role is different. But it is still very very hard. One thing that I…
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Ten years of progression
Ten years ago this month, my wife reported memory loss to her doctor. She was 58. This is a summary of her progression. January 2013; age 58 Reported memory loss to her doctor. 2 years, 9 months; age 61 Problems at work; attendance and work quality 3 years, 0 months; age 61 Short term leave of absence 3 years, 6 months;…
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Mom is confused, a high fall risk and a wanderer, where to place her?
Mom is 83 and is entering a later stage of Alzheimers. She is at a SNF in OT/PT after a sequence of falls (stitches, a couple of black eyes, one small brain bleed, etc.) with the last a hospitalization. She is now under palliative care level as extreme medical interventions could be catastrophic due to her frailness. Due…
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Should I stay up
Like all of us, we need our sleep. my wife and I normally go to bed around 9 or 10. We are caregivers for my brother. I am a fairly light sleeper. My dog wakes me up at night so I can let him out….when I do, i can hear my brother walking around the main floor of his house. Is it safe for us to sleep while he wanders about,…
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how to deal with cell phone use
Brand new to this message board. Probably should have done this sooner since sometimes we feel at the end of our ropes! My mother, 89, diagnosed a year and a half ago, we have seen a lot of progression in the last few months. I think she's probably in mid stage. Most recent difficulty is she has a cell phone and has been…
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survivor's guilt
Hello all. I am new to this site. Have posted in "musings" which helped me frame this question for "caregivers forum." My mum is 82 and is living in AL. She was diagnosed several years ago with MCI, then some time later with ALZ. My father, 84, was her primary caretaker for far too long for his health. Now he is living…
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FORGETTING WHERE HE IS
my PWD is having trouble remembering where his shower is. He also does not believe that he lives in the house that he built 45 years ago. Is this typical ?
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Closed system urinal for men - highly recommended
Hi, all I purchased this urinal for my Dad to use at the bedside and it was amazing. It allowed him to just stand up and use it at night and then hang the urinal on the 'bed assist' handle that we added to fit under the mattress. Less chance of spillage! No 'trips' to the bathroom at night! There are several options and we…
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I just got chewed out…..
Well, I guess my New Year’s Day hit a snag. My mother called me from her AL facility and really let me have it for “putting her there”. She had been having hallucinations/ paranoia. I stayed calm & let her rant, then tried to explain the doctors didn’t feel that she needed to be alone. She hung up on me eventually. I…
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simple, indoor exercises for PWD
I found this website recently and have used it successfully with my mom who has dementia. She is able to do the exercises independently. I stream them on my computer and use an exterior speaker so we can make it loud enough for her. Here is the link: https://yes2next.com/free-workout-videos/#walking
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Questions for CCRCs
Looking for advice/tips to ask CCRCs as I begin my search in my area for giving options to my parents, one of which has advanced dementia. My dear dad has serious medical conditions too which he ignores taking care of my mom, and, it's starting to affect him physically. In-house caregivers aren't working out and there are…
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In home Dr. visit
The in home doctor visit went well. I think the most helpful aspect was that she was at home. He said her heart sounded good and her blood pressure was good. He wanted to rule out a stroke and he was satisfied after doing a few simple tests such a grip strength, leg lifting and checking her eye tracking. I watched, it was…
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Neurologist in Portland or area
I have been trying to find a neurologist in the area without much success. Any tips? Many say 'not accepting new patients'.
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giving away valuables
My mom was diagnosed 2 years ago with probable Alzheimer's and maybe some vascular dementia mixed in. I'm her caregiver and she goes to a day program once weekly. At the beginning of pandemic, while she was still rational, she told me she was going to give me her jewelry because I was the one taking care of her. Over the…
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New Here - New issues have begun with Father
Hoping for thoughts on how to approach issues with my mother (81) (she and I help take care of my father together) that my father (81) is beginning to have. Over the last few months he has started to use the kitchen waste basket as a bathroom and over the holiday he had a BM in his pants (first time for this). No one…
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how do i deal with coping
my husband was just diagnosed with dementia. i am very frustrated watching him struggle with day to day things that up until a year ago he had no problem with. i feel like i have no patience left. some days are good and some days are terrible. who do i talk to?
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No advice needed, just a rough day
This is kind of a venting/“poor me” post but wanted to put it somewhere. My dad (77) has anosognosia most of the time but every so often he has moments of clearly recognizing his Alzheimer’s. Every time we have one of those conversations it wrecks me. Today we had a nice day out. His daytime caregiver called out sick and I…
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My wife is urinating on floor.
My wife recently started urinating on floor instead of going to bathroom. Mainly happens when she wakes up in the morning or through the night. She wears depends, but she takes them off and squats and pees on the floor. I don't know what to do about it. She's capable of walking to the bathroom. Anybody else experiencing…
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Walker refusal
Hi everyone, I am a CP for my father and he is refusing to use a walker or wheelchair. Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thank you
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Just got a dose of reality/ unreality
I just got home from a visit with my mother in AL. She’s been there since early November. In a nutshell, if you haven’t read my previous posts, while living at home alone, she began thinking people on TV could see her. Fast forward to going through psych evaluation & then to AL. So my daughter & I visited today. I remarked…
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Finances(2)
I am looking for some guidance re: financial issues. I am POA for my mother who is in MC. She has some EE bonds that are no longer earning interest. I have tried to redeem them at her bank, where the money would go directly into her account (at 3 different branches) and have gotten mixed results. Now, the bank says it…
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Monitor clothing changes
Hello. Looking for suggestions on how to monitor which clothes are being worn. She is in AL and washes her own clothes. I’ve never seen any clothes in the basket. I live an hour away and visit weekly. She simply doesn’t remember what she has worn previously. Ideas that could cue her to wear something different? Thanks
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Dr is making a house call tomorrow
I called the doctor today and he is making a house call tomorrow after 5pm. The purpose of my call was b/c of marked changes in my mother. As of Tuesday night she has had a lot of weakness and loss of bladder control. I asked for a referral to a visiting nurse and he said he needed to see her before he could do that. We…
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I Want YOU To Be In This Movie!
I have been forum-absent for the last couple of months, trying to stay ahead of this documentary process (not succeeding), but I have managed to hire an awesome post-production team! So here's an update on the movie making progress: Breaking News! https://www.stumpedtowndementia.com/post/breaking-news And here's three ways…
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on hospice- anyone have experience discontinuing thyroid meds?
Hello I am looking for advice or experience on discontinuing thyroid medication for my mom. She is in end stage Alz- bedridden, awake maybe 3-4 hours a day in total and does not interact. Occasionally she will notice us but other times she is just staring at the TV or wall saying random words or grinding her teeth. We have…
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Advice and Help Appreciated
My father has been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment for several years now and we have noticed it getting worse and worse especially within the past month. He has a neurologist and is going in soon for another MRI to see why things changed so quickly. Over Thanksgiving this year things really took a turn for the…
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Living options
I'm a frequent lurker, and have benefited immeasurably from the experiences and advice on these boards. Apologies for the long-winded question; TLDR, I'm struggling with a question about the best living option for my mom. My mother (71) had been having increasing trouble caring for herself, and was diagnosed with moderate…
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How to find acceptance
Hi all. I'm new to the message board. I joined because I' m really looking for help in how to find acceptance. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s this summer, but she is already very advanced. I live far from her and didn't see her much during the first couple years of the pandemic, so I didn't see some of the signs.…