-
Parallel living
Not sure how else to describe this but DH constantly refers to our "Other house"? Which he says is identical to this one, but he wants to take his belongings there. I'm continually putting things in our car for the "morning" to be taken there. After he goes to bed I take them out of the car and put them away. Sometimes…
-
DH wants a divorce
My DH is in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease and dementia. He has been in assisted-living for two years, and the disease has been progressing rapidly these last months. He has had moments of clarity, but has been confused most of the time. His ability to speak has become very limited. So I was quite surprised…
-
Legs are weak....
DH is moving slowly into another phase, he is sleeping some most days and has mentioned several times his legs "are sore." I asked if that meant weak, and he said yes. Some days he works a little weeding and would do more if he could see well enough or could handle tools much….but often he doesn't have very much exercise.…
-
Is incontinence around the corner?
I searched through old posts but did not find an answer. My DH does not make it to the bathroom in time for peeing. It seems that every time he is having to change his clothes. I will make the necessary changes to prepare for this but is this how it starts or is this just older men issues? He is aware he has to go but just…
-
Not my spouse, but I'm used to you guys.
My big brother, who has a diagnosis of MCI - amnestic type - got it into his brain that he needs to drive cross-country to visit his stepdaughter in Florida. This will be the end of October. She is due to have her second baby on October 10. No amount of reasoning will convince him that this isn't a good idea, naturally.…
-
Progression or something else
My DH, 72yo, was diagnosed with moderate dementia this year but has been having memory and word finding problems for years. He started on oral Aricept and did not tolerate so started the exelon patch. About a month ago, he started talking about people being in the house. He was at home alone while I worked at that time. We…
-
Any Friends from Metro-Detroit Attending Tam Cummings Event?
In my search for MC for my DH (69) I've landed on the email/newsletter list for several Detroit-Area MC facilities. I don't always appreciate these and have unsubscribed from most, but I received an Eventbrite invitation from a local facility to attend an upcoming event: Dementia Education Conference with Dr. Tam Cummings,…
-
Seroquel too strong?
First time DW took it, she conked out (sleeping) just 2 hours afterward. Woke up for 2 hours, kinda spacey, then went down again. I called medical office to tell them. Was told cut the pill in half tomorrow. But I am still concerned — she is small-framed, which could be a factor. Prescribed b/c, although she's been…
-
DH was placed in a Geri-Psych program yesterday
What a sad day! My DH was admitted to the hospital yesterday for much-needed medication management. He has been more and more out of control lately and the final straw was when he threated to hit another resident here who was just walking by. My choices were to have him placed in a more expensive Memory Care not a part of…
-
Advise from anyone on Medicade in NJ
I’m curious on story’s that happen on Medicade when it’s time. Did they take your home ? When partner is no longer around what happens to you with bills? Anything will help. And has anyone had a Reverse mtg when all this medicade stuff started and what did you do ??
-
I have no idea what he means...
Many times I can interpret what my DH is trying to say, or I can give a satisfactory answer to some question even if I'm not sure what he's asking. But a few times lately, he fixates on something and repeatedly mentions it and I have no idea what he means. I take a guess and give an answer but I know the comment will come…
-
In Person Support Group & Volunteering Disappointment
My third attempt at joining an in person support group was a bust. In our prior home, the first meeting I went to, no one showed. The second, (different group) I tried, three people were there. The leader monopolized the meeting with her personal journey and no one was a full time caregiver except me. Now in the new…
-
Hi
…
-
Problem with Eating
My DH is stage 6 Alzheimer and ten days ago was accepted for Hospice care. He has always used utensils and honestly uses forks and spoons when it would be easier to eat the food with his hands, such as he will cut up sandwiches and use a fork to eat them. So he is still using utensils to eat but the last couple of days he…
-
DH Forgot His Own Name
This wasn’t as much of a gut punch as DH forgetting who I am. DH had an appt with his PCP this past week and when we went to check in - which he prefers to do himself - the woman asked him for him name. He looked at me and said “What is it?” I thought he was being snarky and didn’t respond. He looked at me and again asked…
-
Coughing and Swallowing
My wife is in Stage 4 ALZ but seems healthy except for serious memory issues. She developed a chronic cough last Winter which persists today. Lately she occasionally has trouble swallowing food. Also her appetite is diminished. I'm suspecting this is ALZ related. Have others out there seen these symptoms?
-
Stage 8 fast approaching
I’m sitting in hospice days away from DH passing. I’ve been here for over 2 weeks staying in his room because of his special needs. Feeling I don’t want to go home afterwards, don’t want to sleep in our bed, or go to places we were always in together. I don’t want to stay with friends. I may go to a hotel for a few nights.…
-
Just need to talk to my friends (198)
Time to begin a new segment of our thread. Hope everyone is well. Been a quiet day here. Hasn't been too hot but the heat is coming next week. Heat index up to 112. Sleep well. See you tomorrow.
-
DW possibly getting ready to transition.
Transition, the word they use now. She is on antibiotics again and she's been really out of it lately and not eating much. They have been hand feeding her for a while now. The nurse said she might return to baseline in a few days or she could be getting ready to "transition". If she continues to eat less and less then it's…
-
Sundowning
First episode last night. This new thing is sure does suck. My poor DW. I hate this disease so damn much.
-
An Anomaly?
With DH's recent "miraculous" recovery, his PCP now thinks DH may not be suffering from LBD. He thinks DH's psychotic episodes may have been caused by some other unknown disease or Hashimoto's Disease, but DH has been taking thyroid medication for over 15 yrs. He mentioned some test to confirm the theory, but I can't…
-
Update
I have been wanting to post and let you all know how things were going but kept waiting for a meeting with the doctor. Well, that has not happened. The new administrator at DH MC asked the social worker to set up a meeting for me. That woman called almost two weeks ago and said she was going to do that. She never called…
-
Riding the struggle bus
It's been 3 months since DH moved to an assisted living. I thought it would relieve some stress, but it hasn't. I am confident in the placement, the staff has been great. However, my husband has declined so much so fast. I fight feeling guilty all time even though I know it's impossible to have him home. I go visit almost…
-
Nothing going as planned….what to do
My husband is the Type 1 diabetic who has been stuck in hospitals since mid July. He went from home to ER, to a GPU, to home for 2 days, back to ER, to IcU and has been in a med surg bed since, a couple of weeks now. No surprise that there has been mor decline during this time. They could not find a GPU placement. They all…
-
LO Starting Hospice
In the last few of months my LO became incontinent; I could handle that. He was still ambulatory albeit slow but he could get around with my assistance, could feed himself, I could get him in bed, and other daily tasks. Just like that, overnight two days ago his legs are gone; meaning he cannot stand, walk, get in bed, he…
-
Stage 8
My DW has gone to be with our Lord. On September 1, she fell and injured her ribs. The Hospice nurse told us to give her Morphine every four hours. She was not eating or drinking so I suspected we were near the end. On Thursday, they increased the Morphine to every hour. She was snoring loudly. Sunday morning at 1:15 I…
-
Power of Attorney
My wife has early-mid stage Alzheimer’s and anosognosia. I’ve been told I need power of attorney, but I have questions about that. Do I really need this, given that all our assets are held jointly? Is there a way to set up power of attorney without confronting her with her condition? She gets upset when that happens and…
-
Cleaning spree
After a year of not doing much of anything DW has suddenly gone on a cleaning spree. sorting through her piles of stuff, throwing stuff away, vacuuming and dusting. I don't know what to think.
-
Med Care providers
Hi. There is a good chance my husband will be going into MC soon. The facility offers a medical service where he can get med help by their own PCP, a nurse practitioner. I fully understand the convenience and efficiency this could provide. However my husband has been receiving great care from his current PCP and team of…
-
Out of the hospital and on to memory care
DH left the hospital on Friday. His sister and I took him directly to the memory care I had selected, which was more than an hour’s drive thanks to our city’s always terrible traffic. Everyone made a big fuss over him when he arrived, and it was great to see him smiling again. He asked me once, “Why am I here?” And I told…