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For Older Unmarried Couples, Caregiving Obligations Can Be Murky
Gifted link from the NYT. An article about caregiving issues specific to older unmarried couples. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/10/health/elderly-unmarried-couples-caregiving.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE4.JvyT.QUUSabGS4hNM&smid=url-share
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Donepezil and Memantine-Extreme Side Effects
Hello Everyone! This is time on the site. My DH was officially diagnosed with VD about eight months ago. But because my mom also had dementia, I knew three years ago that something was wrong. His doctor didn't listen to me, and not until he had three mini strokes, and carotid artery operated on did anyone start listening…
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Increased Zoloft from 50 mg to 100mg
Thinking of increasing my DH Zoloft to 100. At times I see more anxiety in him. I am a little hesitant bc I don’t want to overdo the medication. Can anyone tell me if they see improvement after increased, or side effects?
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Key lime dessert
DW is on hospice She can only eat food of a pudding consistency I make key lime pie filling for DW in little aluminum cupcake cups. It is just egg yolks condensed milk and lime juice I add green food coloring since that helps me mix it thoroughly. I use aluminum cups with lids since i take 4 at a time to the memory care 1…
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A good man with Alzheimers
I was called today by my husband’s memory care administrator to tell me that my husband was a hero. After dinner yesterday he witnessed a fellow resident inappropriately touch another who was in a wheel chair. He stood up and confronted the offender and loudly said, “Stop it. Don’t do that”! This gained the attention of an…
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Voting
This has been a subject of discussion in my support group recently. One man told us that he voted on behalf of his wife because he knows how she would vote if she could. She's currently on hospice, she cannot walk, talk or feed herself. She certainly can't sign her name. He admitted that he forged her signature. I told him…
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New to all this
My husband was officially diagnosed with alzheimer's 3 weeks ago, in the early stages of this. I have bounced back and forth between denial, anger, tears and fear for what our life will be and for how long. I'm not sure what to do, what the steps are to help him and myself manage this. He has problems finding the words to…
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Any Advice?
My DW is in stage 5+-, with anosgnosia and increasing aphasia. Other than when I can offer entertainment, projects, walks, outings, etc she spends a lot of her time either sitting in front of the TV, puttering in the yard, or walking the dog. She is often depressed and constantly complains that she has "nothing" going on…
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Looking for in person communication with spouses of the afflicted
Hello; I'm Gerry and I'm attempting to locate in person support groups within the Roanoke, Virginia area. Any ideas for me? Thank You!
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I desperately need help
My husband has Alzheimer’s, I work 40 hours a week, I’ve called everyone I can think of to sit with him , he wanders off from the house, has anyone have a solution, He won’t do daycare and I’m trying my best to keep him out of a nursing home, I have no one to rely on, feels like I’m losing my mind
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Vocabulary Disappearing
Of late I have noticed a drastic change in my DW’s vocabulary. Words don’t come easy if at all. When we go for a walk in the park we normally see lots of squirrels. Today, the squirrels became “damn idiots “. So sad to see the decline especially in the past month.
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Constant 😴 sleeping.
Has anyone had their loved one sleep 12-14 hours per day. Was there something medically going on to cause that.
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Voting
I've gotten so many personally written postcards stating that public record indicates my husband hasn't voted and asking him to do so.. A person even drove to our home today in a secluded rural dirt Rd to encourage him to vote. He brought his kid and was freaking out about his kid getting fingers dirty when I offered to…
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Jo C
What was the name of that wonderful Christmas store?
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I have one more question
There are many people on the forum that I often think of. I know Jo C had some serious health problems, and I wonder how she is doing. Has anyone heard from her recently?
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Today is our anniversary
DH doesn't remember that it is. I have not mentioned it. He was always the one to remember the dates of everything. Just makes me sad.
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DPOA and Guardianship?
Has anyone here ever had to pursue guardianship despite having a durable POA? For more background the medical POA is springing (it was the only option the CELA offered to us). This summer my DH refused a move from a hospital stay to rehab and I was not legally able to override his decision since he has a springing health…
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Just want to apologize
One of our members sent me a PM telling me about M1's partner passing, so I decided to stop by for a short visit. You have given me support and shared your stories with me when I needed it. Thank you for that. My wife has been gone for 2 years and almost 5 months now. But now I feel as though it is in my best interest to…
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How many broken TVs is the limit?
DH gets peeved some nights if I ask him to brush his teeth and he gets worked up if his phone charger is not cooperating & this has led to an eruption of him throwing his phone on a few occasions. Last time he broke the TV. Time before just missed my head. He threw it tonight & I have not checked the TV for damage…just…
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Just some thoughts
Just left my DW and she is sleeping more in her geri chair. She is digressing. I saw that blank look in her eyes and I know more of that will come. She reached for my face and caressed my face with a small tear in her eye. I don't know what that tear ment but I know she is growing weary of this long struggle. I don't know…
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Alzheimer's?
My wife has been diagnosed with dementia, probably Alzheimer's. We have been down this road for about 6 years now. Her memory is very bad but otherwise she has not changed. We lead a fairly normal life with me directing all of her activities. Is it possible she has something other than Alzheimer's? Anyone else having this…
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Lawrence Welk
Today being Saturday, I had nothing for my DW to watch . So was channel surfing and accidentally I tuned to PBS a channel I don’t normally watch . Lawerence Welk was on and guess what . My DW loved the show remembering quite a few of the songs and most importantly enjoyed seeing the pretty lady singers all “dolled up “ and…
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Rough Week
A couple of weeks ago I went to my dermatologist for my annual skin check. She said a small mole on my back had changed color since last year and she removed it. I found out this week that it was a melanoma. She said it was early…in situ. She is going to have to take additional tissue to make sure to get all of it. I'm so…
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Guilt
This cannot be a new subject, although a quick search didn't yield what I was looking for. I am 84, have leukemia. My DH is in ES to MS ALZ and is 89. Several of our children have been doing research on new treatments to slow this down. At least once a week, I'll get a text . or a phone call …"Mom, I read about…" I makes…
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Facing the move to memory care
I have made the decision to move my DH who has late stage Alzheimer's to a small residential memory care home. He will be moving on November 12. The physicality and relentless needs of his care have simply become too much for me to bear. I have no idea how to face this move or make it a lighter burden for either of us.…
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Wow, I underestimated the loneliness
My husband went to memory care this week. It's going fine. He's settling in fairly well. I feel like a jerk for even saying this. I'm lost and lonely. I've never lived alone before (family, college, roommates, then my husband). I'm trying to keep busy. Dishes are done. Laundry is caught up (for the first time in 2 years).…
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Time change
My husband is so confused and upset about the time change today. He just doesn’t understand when I explain it to him. He thinks something is going on that is bad, something is doing this to him. I thought things were going better the last 2-3 days, now this. Guess that’s the way it is. Will I ever get used to this?
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My DH has lost his dentures
We are in our second year since diagnosis (probably 4 years since onset), and are somewhere in the fifth-sixth stage of ALZ. He has stopped wanting to take his denture out when we go to bed, so we have been cleaning it in the morning. Sometime last night he took it out and has misplaced it. I have looked everywhere for it,…
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Interesting (and untimely) legal lesson about cremation: should I have just lied and told them we w
I hope this might be helpful to someone else, for me it's been a huge headache and unnecessary firedrill on an already fraught Friday afternoon. And importantly, something that neither my memory care contacts nor the hospice social workers were aware of. And that the cremation company didn't catch until this afternoon,…
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Loves to talk to anyone who comes to the door
My DH has a routine list of things he talks about to anyone who will listen - I call it his yard tour. He starts with showing them the driveway, followed by every tree and plant in the front and back of the house. Some of it makes no sense, but most people will listen patiently, at some point probably realizing he has…