-
Does MC delay death?
After several of his hospitalizations, by LO was placed in nursing facilities for "rehab". The last one had him so doped up that he was just breathing, and not much else. I guess it was good while he was there, because there was a resident who yelled all day and night, and you could hear her as soon as you entered the…
-
Drugs v Services
This is an excellent op-ed piece regarding the hope/promise of drug treatments and the real need for physical and respite care . You may need to turn off your ad blocker. https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/alzheimers-drug-aduhelm-treatment-safety-net-20210806.html
-
Support group member's husband died
We lost a support group member's husband this week. He was a physician, very nice man. He was for a time in the same memory care as DW. and I used to take his picture and send it to his wife. He died in Hospice, he was 73. We have been doing support group online. I was the host this week So I set aside a few minutes at the…
-
Video Tony Bennett (Alz Dis) Singing with Lady Gaga
Tony Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2016; while he has had losses and advancement in his disease process, he rises to the occasion with music. Here is a new video of him singing with Lady Gaga,"I Get A Kick Out Of You." Sweet and poignant.…
-
Daycare Shutdown
Yesterday I received a call from DH’s daycare asking me to pick him up as they have a positive Covid case in the building. The building is a continuum care facility with 400 workers plus residents. DH was tested before I picked him up. We quarantined in our condo while waiting for results. Fortunately his test is negative.…
-
California 1st State To Mandate Indoor Healthcare Workers Must Be Vaccinated
Surpised me; Ca mandates by September 30th that all indoor healthcare workers whether paid or undpaid must be vaccinated. I was a bit surprised to see that Home Health entities are not included in this mandate; or at least not spelled out as such:…
-
Vaccination Mandate For NH Staff Under Fire and Debate
Nursing homes are beginning to see an upsurge in patients becoming positive for the COVID mutated Delta virus. This is seen even in patients who have been vaccinated. In several NHs fully vaccinated patients have contracted the Delta virus and have died. The single place the exposure came from appears to be from…
-
Best Mask Line of thr day
You should wear a mask anytime you are near a person who you would not want to know that you had no underwear on
-
Another first(1)
I've been thinking that this dementia journey is similar to the tide coming in. A wave comes in, some new symptom/behavior exhibits itself, then the wave returns to the ocean, you breathe a sigh of relief and things seem normal again. The new symptoms are so shocking that you don't realize that older ones that used to be…
-
Health passport
They have just introduced the Health Passport. You need to prove that you are fully vaccinated or tested less than 2 days ago to go to the restaurant, to a show, at the hospital, in a retirement home, to take the train… We are fully vaccinated so, it isn’t a problem for us. But All people who work with vulnerable people…
-
Consideration of the new Alzheimers drug (aduhelm)
My wife has been diagnosed with alzheimers (Nov 2019). She will be retested soon to confirm that she is in the early stages of the disease, and so use of aduhelm is possible. The issues are cost of course (unclear if Medicare will pay for anything), plus the side effects, plus questions from the clinical trials as to how…
-
Finally Had Difficult Conversation ... Moving Forward
It's been a long time since I've posted, and given all of the problems I read about on this forum, we have it pretty good. That said, I want to share this story because it may help someone else. My DW is 56 and was diagnosed 6.5 years ago. The diagnosis was early but accurate (spinal tap and PET). The news was crushing.…
-
So sad, my husband has passed
The Lord took my husband away this week after four years of battling Alzheimer. This disease came like a thief in the night. It seemed one day he was fine and then the next day things were not right with his memory. He had all the tests -- no stroke, and so the Neurologist said he had Alzheimer. He passed away in my arms.…
-
What's new at this stage
My DH's appetite keeps decreasing. I fix only what he likes/wants, but he still eats so very little. Last time at the doctor's office, he weighed in at 120 fully dressed. He used to be 5'6" but has shrunk. They never measure his height, just his weight. Lately, it takes him a half an hour or more to eat what little he…
-
Carousel Sliding Bath Bench - Easy To Use
Just saw this item; it sure does look much more user friendly than the "usual" bath bench that slides into a tub or shower that has a rise. It supports up to 330 pounds. While it appears to be really a good item, it is indeed pricey. The price does vary depending on the vendor. but it will be over $200. Yet . . . . . if…
-
He said our friend came to see me.
DH and I have been married 54 years and have both been true to each other. Never has there been any doubt on either side about this...until now. We have a friend who has been helping us out with groceries since the pandemic started. When he goes to the store, he texts to see if we need anything. Usually I ask for milk and…
-
latest covid numbers and please no magic dog turds
I ran the Covid numbers from yesterday 7 day average deaths 277 7 day average cases from 21 days before 15,393 Known infection Fatality Ratio 1.8 % Average covid Infections last 7 days 56.689 assuming all factors stay the same projected average deaths in 21 days 1000+ per day These people are already infected Virtually al…
-
What happens to loved one if caregiver has emergency?
For all you folks who are caregiver 24/7 for your loved one, what steps have you taken if for some reason it is you who has the medical emergency? If your LO cannot get you emergency help? How is LO to be cared for if you are off to ER or hospitalization? The reason I ask is that my 96 yr old mother is 24/7 caregiver for…
-
This is definitely a learning curve!
My husband and I just went away for a week in the North Carolina Mountains. We will receive his MRI results on Tuesday, but he failed the memory tests and is exhibiting some serious memory issues. The doctor has told me it is likely early stage Alzheimer's. I wanted us to have a special week together before that doctor's…
-
My wife hates me now
My wife (62) was diagnosed with EO Alzheimers about six years ago. She was an accountant, and she noticed that she couldn't do her job effectively anymore. I noticed she was more forgetful and constantly losing her phone, but it wasn't too bad for the first few years. After about three years and a slow & decline, she asked…
-
Another sign of spiraling down
My DW, as of three days ago has shown new signs of spiraling down in this awful disease of Alzheimer’s. She wants to go home. She told two granddaughters they were lying when they told her she was already home. She asked me to take her home. I took her for a ride in our neighborhood and came back to our home. I told her…
-
Separate Beds
Good morning! I have not posted in awhile, but I have read alot of the frustrations this disease does to the ones who have it and the ones who are taking care of them!! I admire each and everyone of you who are doing this job!!! I hate we all have to be here!! I wanted to start out with kinds words, because I am sure some…
-
Coconut oil and mct oil
I recently learnt that coconut oil added to food -2 tablespoons daily helps with Alzheimer’s. Mct oil helps with Alzheimer’s and seizures. That’s wonderful news! I plan to try it on my DH whose daily activities with memory are gradually getting worse. I will get his heart dr ok too before proceeding. What do u think…
-
Anyone with Colostomy bag experience?
My 78 year old DH just had an ileostomy surgery and now has a colostomy bag which needs emptying every 2-3 hours around the clock. And he has been showing more and more signs of the Alzheimer’s he was diagnosed with about 4 years ago. This seems like a freight train coming straight at us. Has anyone had this situation? Any…
-
Female hygiene
Sorry for this kind of question. Ok, so how do I go about getting DW clean down below when she's had a nasty mess in her Depends. With the female anatomy being the way it is, I'm pretty sure some of the nastiness is probably getting in there. I realize a shower will clean the best, and I do that when I can. But when…
-
Risperidone prescribed for severe angry episodes, any experience with this drug welcome!
My HWD had another angry episode yesterday but this time instead of ripping his tshirt off and going to bed til it wore off he got angry enough to start damaging the house. He tore the handrail off the stairway in one fell swoop, tried to rip the exterior steel door off its hinges, tried to tear the kitchen counter top off…
-
Like the old days
I was giving the kitchen a deep clean and boxed up some stuff that I just don’t use. I put it outside on the curb for the neighbours to go through. My husband was sitting on the porch while this was going on. He suddenly came in and told me some gentleman had fallen while examining the contents of the box. At first I…
-
Hello, I am sadly now part of this group
Hello, my DW has been diagnosed with EO at 61 and, by recent testing, she sadly appears to be advanced beyond ES in some areas. She, we, were under a great deal of stress so her doctors focused on that as the cause of memory/speech issues until the continued deterioration made it obvious more was happening. We just told…
-
I have a confession to make
And I don’t think a priest can help me at this time. My spouse has been in a memory care facility for over a year. He got really bad case of COVID so he’s really been in MC for less than a year. He’s doing okay now. We have a big house which I plan to sell within a year. He had his own bedroom and office and I had mine.…
-
My trip to hell
I just spent a week visiting my 99 year old mother who suffers from anxiety,depression, and a condition called post hospital delirium after a week in what she calls a snake pit. The experience has left my mother with brain fog, memory loss, and panic about the fact this could be permanent. That was the easy part of the…