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PCA diagnosis for LO
Hi, I recently heard about Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) and it sounds so much like what is going on with my mom. For her it’s like she is blind. She has poor depth perception, no peripheral vision, has complained of blurry and double vision, she needs someone with her when so goes anywhere to just make sure she sees…
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Reposting great resource- Compassionate Care & 7A’s of dementia
https://www.vha.ca/2021/compassionate-care-strategies-using-the-7-as-of-dementia/
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Alzheimer's, Aromatherapy, and the Sense of Smell
I cannot remember another time that I have been so impressed and yet disappointed in a book at the same time. First, the title threw me off. About 90 percent of the book is about Alzheimer's disease separate from aromatherapy (risk factors, measures to reduce risks, caregiving stragegies, raw food versus cooked food,…
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What tests did they use to diagnose your loved on with Alzheimer's Disease?
My mother is currently in the processed of being diagnosed. The doctor is doing a few blood tests to rule out reversable causes for the cognitive difficulties but otherwise says no tests are needed besides a brief cognitive measure (MOCA) to diagnose Alzheimer's. What was your experience like? Did they do more testing or…
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Aggression in SNF
My mom was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment 7 years ago. Her medical records from her PCP states dementia. There has been average decline over the years. Doesn't remember how to cook, doesn't know how to do laundry, hoarding, obsessive compulsive behavior, doesn't remember anything more than a few minutes, and the…
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Got SSDI approved BUT NOT Eligible for M/Care until 24 monhs!!
We got my brother's SSDI approved. He's 62. YAY! BUT, I was so focused on getting that taken care of, I didn't research enough I guess as I just found out he is not eligible for Medicare until he has had SSDI for 24 months!! He currently has COBRA from former employer who let him go in Dec 2021. Cobra is $665.00 per…
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Problem with siblings
Hello, I have two siblings, brother and sister, that are hard to deal with. They don't understand our mother's dementia and they come and pick her up with out any communication with me. Its unsettling since she may fall or have some kind of incident. I tried texting them to set boundaries but there is no reply. They are…
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LO wants to go back home
My mom and dad who are in their 80s are suffering from dementia. They grew up in South East Asia and want to go back there to live out their days. They are constantly asking me to buy air plane tickets for them. This usually happens in the evenings when my mom gets worked up and depressed. What do I do? Or say to her? How…
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I'm so hopeless
My dad (80) has dementia. I'm trying to help my mom (79) take care of him, the finances, and the house. I can't get out of bed because my doctors made choose between psych meds or painPp meds. I'm in so much pain I can't eat. I've lost 35 ponds since March. When I stand up my pants fall down. My mom can barely walk too,…
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Mirror Dimension
Lately my mom seems a little confused with mirrors. I would try and talk to her and she'd start walking away, but then I see that she's found me in a mirror and was going towards that. I can't get her to go to me unless I get out of the mirror's reflection and call again. Other times she understands mirrors and fixes her…
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Thanks you two for commenting.
Going to look into the Desitin diaper cream. Been using the Medline zinc paste for a while now because that's what I saw them use in the hospital and of course is what previous hospice gave. But now, I don't have to worry about running out the zinc based product.
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What to say?(3)
Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing as well as possible. I think of you all everyday. This morning Dad and I had a meeting with the two caregivers and a hospice nurse. Mom is declining and hospice has changed up her meds. The purpose of the meeting was to make sure everyone is on the same page. Mom is losing weight…
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If this is terminal lucidity - question
Has anyone dealt with terminal lucidity? My FIL is stage 7c and I’m wondering if this is it. After weeks of agitation, my FIL is not only calm but carrying on clear conversations with us. He knows who we are (sort of, he thinks I’m his daughter - but he hasn’t know he has a daughter for over a year). He is talking about…
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Annoying hospital bed issues - a little long. Help!
Dad has been home from the hospital for five days now. First thing DH and I noticed after getting to dad’s home was the bed. He was placed in the bed by the ambulance drivers. Problem one - the bed had a tilt. If we didn’t do something I’m certain he would have rolled out. We looked at the floor in his room, although we…
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sleep patterns off
DH has been sleeping off and on most of the day. When I put him to bed around 10:30 p.m. he gets up a few times during the night wanting to make coffee since he thinks it is morning. In addition to this he has explosive diarrhea from Crohn's disease ( or maybe because he is at stage 6.5 on the FAST scale) I just recently…
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How often do you do assessments?
My local Aging Matters sent me a "caregiving guide for unprofessionals" which emphasizes allowing a LO to do everything that they can do themselves, by themselves, and then to apply a "hand-under-hand" approach towards activities that they can't fulfill themselves. This guide also emphasized setting up an area before…
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Questions about Lewy Body
I've been my Mom's caretaker since her diagnosis in 2018. We started off with just dementia. In October of last year she was diagnosed with Lewy Body. She was recently released from Hospice care because she started eating again and gaining weight. In home health came in but cannot provide physical therapy because "there is…
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Keeping her from boredom
My LO has lost the ability to read and write. She does sometimes read out the signs we drive past on the road, though. She was a painter, but now when we ask her if she wants to paint she mostly says no, or maybe later. We have to cajol her and direct her brush to the canvas because she starts painting herself or her table…
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If you did everything your LO asked, where would you be in a week?
I sometimes wonder this when we are driving down the road and my LO is instructing me to take this left, this right, etc.
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Stuck in time
OMG, I just downloaded Jennifer Ghent-Fuller's "Understanding the Dementia Experience". My issue of mom being stuck in a 1970's anger was completed explained!!! Memories disappear from newest to oldest. People with AD often have memories that only go up to a certain age. So my mom now often only really remembers up until…
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Vascular Dementia (VD)
My dear almost 91 year old Mother was diagnosed 12/31/20. I am her primary caregiver and because I hear, see & feel her condition worsening over time I am becoming increasingly frustrated & angry. Many times over the past 6 months I am up 2-3 times during the night to assure she safely gets back to bed. My Mother is very…
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He's still here but I'm already grieving
I miss my dad. He could fix anything. Answer all my questions. Always kept me safe. I'm trying my best to keep him safe now, answer his many questions about why this is happening to him. He's such a private man. Never showed it if he was sad or scared until now. I don't know how to watch this progress, each day my heart…
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I’m making myself ill
I’m afraid I’m going to have a heart attack or stroke if I don’t quit obsessing. This is not really a dementia post. it’s an I can’t do this anymore post. My Mom with dementia and my stepdad with possible dementia have run my tank of mental and emotional reserves dry.luckily they don’t live with me- they are in assisted…
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Mom is stuck in 1970's anger
I have a question that may sound heartless, but my father and I are starting to break. Mom is stuck in some kind of 1970's anger towards my dad. Dad was not a good husband or father back then and their marriage was incredibly rocky. Screaming matches over my dad's absence and bar-hopping were constant then, but my dad grew…
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I am in your debt AlsConnected
My life was upside down and my mind was ready to explode. I didn't know what to do. But I knew I couldn't continue like that. My mom's paranoia, constant sobbing, these imaginary children, people coming to get her/us... My first day on this site, I was given this one tool by the kind people here. REDIRECT! Now, it is night…
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Help, Personal Hygiene with my LO is becoming a battle!
Hi, I am running into a phase where it has become a battle to have my mother with Alzheimers take care of herself in the hygiene department. It is a battle to get her to shower and change clothes. She gets very angry and then upset. She will go days wearing the same clothes. She has moved past wanting to brush her hair and…
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Dementia elderly sits on the toilet for very long time.
Hello everyone, I am new to this forum. My 97 yeas old dad suffers from dementia and the condition is deteriorating. He frequently needs to use the toilet and sits there for hours not willing to get up. We are running out of ideas. Please give us some suggestions on how to deal with this kind of situation. Thank you…
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Mental Health Day for Caregivers
I have tried to take breaks, when I leave the house it's never long enough. I've tried day trips (going to area resorts/pools) to enjoy the amenities, but since I can not stay overnight it's not fulfilling and $$$. Most properties in the area do not offer 'day passes' for amenities only, so I pay for full property access…
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How do you handle their worries about money?
For those of you whose loved one is in private pay independent, assisted or memory care: how do you handle your loved one when they ask you if their money will hold out? My mom was always the person who handled the money in her marriage for 55 years. Now she can’t. I’m trying to handle that function. - with my hand tied…
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Advance advice on moving from AL to MC
My mom is about to move into AL. She is still fairly independent. She's not on any medication, still bathes, feeds and dresses herself. She was even managing her bills though she was driving her vendors crazy because she often called them multiple times a month to confirm payment or that the statement had been sent. I put…