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Stages of Alz
I see many mentions of stages that your loved one is at. Where can I find this information. My DH is in the later stages but I'm curious which one and how it is defined. Thank you.
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Relieved, sad, brutalized, and bewildered
My spouse passed away yesterday. Diagnosed with MCI/EOAD after a spinal tap 11/2021 age 61 Hospice 6/2025 age 65 Died at home 1/21/2025 age 65 Early onset can go fast, but that young heart can keep going at the brutal, brutal end. 6 days with no food or water, 2 days of agonal gasping. Excruciating. I am so glad it is over…
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wandering
With so many of you having concerns about your LO wandering from the home,I thought I'd mention child locks on the outside doors. I installed these at the top of the door, above eye height, and my DH has no idea they are there. Even if he did, he does not have the dexterity or the mental capacity to figure out how to slide…
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Parietal or Atypical Alzheimers
I’m just wondering if anyone out there has a loved one with parietal Alzheimer’s. My DH’s AD is on the left parietal lobe. This is a very different path than the usual AD. His first symptoms were severe deficits in Math. We noticed he kept over tipping waitresses, who didn’t mind at all. His social skills were the same for…
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I Would Pay Money for a Little Anosognosia
As my DW loses her ability to speak and has started becoming more anxious and paranoid, she will say to me, "I am about to lose it all." and then she'll cry. So I cry and think of how utterly unfair it is that she knows, really knows that her brain is failing her. I know her thinking she has nothing wrong would bring it's…
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Sad for DH, sad for me
The other night when DH came in to visit and have his nightly glass of wine, he started talking about some money that was deposited from a small income source and then tried explaining to me why the money was so little. This income source was in the field he had spent his entire working career in, but he couldn't find the…
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How to respond / deal with the almost obsessive past work talk
My DH was diagnosed with Alz over a year ago. As with most of us I was noticing signs for 3 years prior to diagnosis. I'd say he's into early stage 5. He is still able to care for himself and do most things around the house. Of course he repeats his past stories, and asks alot of repeated questions. I'm dealing with those…
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Saturday night
this is what Saturday night looks like at our place 🥲. How about yours? Lol
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I feel so alone and lost at times
My husband was diagnosed with "MCI with a vascular presentation." The loss of his short term memory is jaw dropping. I'm observing a slow decline in him, but then some days, he seems "OK." I've noticed when he is around other people that do not see him on a daily basis, outwardly he seems fine. His adult children do not…
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What Is Respite?
I’m so tired from 24 hours and going of aimless, but harmless, wandering, but, but… Today I have a caregiver for three hours. DW is accepting of her today. My respite is the garage door up with a soft rain, sitting in a lawn chair with the door into the garage locked so my DW stays with the caregiver, sitting here…
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How long survive without fluids
my DH has been put on hospice. He is in hospital. He has had zero fluids for 3 days. He’s on morphine and Valium. His BP is still good, good oxygen, had some mottling which is now back to normal, strong pulse. He had death rattle which is now gone. Has anyone had this experience?
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Tonight
As I sit here tonight at 9:56pm I think I have had a really rough evening with my DH….but I know what I think is bad now really isn’t. He is probably in early stage 5 and I know there are so many worse days/nights coming. I try to remind myself that really we are still fairly normal compared to what many are going through…
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being prevented from communication
My DW of 45 years has ALZ and is living in an assisted care facility. The oldest daughter has POA. She and an unknown DR have implemented what they call a "NO CONTACT" plan where I am being prevented from any communication with my wife. They say this is for her "well being" and that it is permanent. She is taking 3 or 4…
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Just needed to vent a bit
This post is just a vent to others here who know where I'm coming from. The people in my Alzheimer's support group are great and they totally get it too. My wife is 65 years old and about four years into this insanity that is Alzheimer's. She's been my best friend, wife, lover, mother of our children, grandmother now. But…
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Useful resource, IDK?
Hello fellow caregivers. Like many of you I am on a solo journey caring for my LO with varying degrees of this baffling disease. Wondering if any of you have found AARP to be a useful resource? We live in a rural touristy mountain area, limited resources. I have been reading the 36 Hour Day which has been helpful. I ask…
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Personality changes in caregivers
I read a very interesting comment in a Facebook caregiver group about how taking care of a person with dementia causes changes in the caregiver. Basically, the constant hypervigilance and responding to unpredictable and alarming behaviors over time produces emotional flattening and fatigue because our nervous systems…
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A Wife and A Partner
Not sure why I'm posting this……I'm not looking for validation and certainly don't need judgment. I guess just sharing my experience. My wife was diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer's over 7 years ago. She is currently non-verbal, fully incontinent, and unable to do anything for herself. I am blessed that she is still…
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Join Our Caregiver/Grief Support Group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/IyfD6t2EHeFB11LOSye1eIError link to join our WhatsApp support group. we also meet Thursday nights on zoom
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Excellent information on infusion drugs
unsafe:blob:https://alzconnected.org/1083128f-37c8-41d5-aca0-7410bb41f055
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NOT DRIVING!
My wife who is three years into FTD announced this morning she intends to go driving. I told her that was not happening because her neurologist had written in her report she was not to drive and our insurance would be invalid. This, among many other reasons were enough to keep her off the road. Likely she will forget it…
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What's the one thing that gets to you the most
Just curious. What is the single most difficult aspect of your LO's behavior that gets to you the most. For me, it is the constant vocalization of my DW. I know that many say that silence is even more difficult but that is hard for me to imagine. From the minute she wakes up until she goes to sleep 12 to 14 hours later she…
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Painting pictures for our loved ones…
Cristian’s St. Peter’s’ song speaks to me of the Alzheimer’s Journey. My Michael sits by my side a little while longer while I “paint pictures” of our years together. I found it moving and wanted to share it with you, my community of beautiful carers who also paint pictures for your loved ones to briefly touch and know. Be…
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He’s been gone for 2 weeks now…
My DH passed on Jan 3. He was late Stage 6 and it was sudden - likely his heart. So he found his “exit ramp” before moving to Stage 7. I wanted to share my observations and some things I’ve learned. 1st: Focus on the little joys each day and what you’re grateful for, even in Stage 8. During this journey, I try to journal…
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Feeling misty eyed after visiting DH yesterday
Yesterday, I made the short drive to my DH's MC like I always do on Sunday's. As usual, he was glad to see me and we had a nice visit. By a nice visit I mean I tried to show him a picture album from a trip he took to Africa in 2005 while he pointed to the animals and tried to cound them. He has no memory of his "trip of a…
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Losing my Temper With my DW
I feel so sorry for losing my temper with my DW. She just pushes the same issues over and over again to solve issues that I have no control over such as her delusions and hallucinations she continues to have. She demands that I stop imaginary people from our home who are stealing and trying to hurt and kill her. She has…
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Aphasia
I realised this morning at 6 o’clock when we were having an early cup of tea on the front deck as usual that I can no longer have any conversation with my DH virtually no sensible words and only jibberish sentences making no sense. I try as always to piece together the words that he is trying to say and it has become…
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Does It Start Over, And Over, And ....
It has been five months as of January 16 since my dear wife went to sleep for the last time holding my hands. The journey since has been difficult, painful, sleepless, guilt ridden, an abundance of tears at unexpected moments, lonely, oh so lonely and as the previous month began to wane, I found a day here or there when I…
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Tired
Sometimes life is just tiresome and I just need to vent. This is the scene; the weather here is hot 35c humid rainy and wet. I used to love this time of year swimming in the pool, sweaty bbq’s outside under a balmy night sky, walks along the beach (no swimming due to stingers and the occasional crocodile spotting) but now…
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Toileting
I am now having to assist my DH in all aspects of using the toilet. I know it is only a matter of time before he will need pads or Depends. My question is whether anyone has considered trimming or shaving around the genitals and anus? I feel as though it would make things easier in the cleanup process. I'm pretty sure my…
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FOR WANDERINGS
https://metalert.shop/products/gps-smartsole?srsltid=AfmBOoomVnrnFFaEk2afyLWGX0KANm7d69tqaHr4VOuuY_eKTiLiY1o0&selling_plan=3595567348&variant=42783777587444 This is one…google for others