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Memory changes question
My DH progressed very slowly the last 7 years. About 7 months ago I started to notice more short term memory issues. It didn’t come overnight, but we both felt it was like he moved into the next stage. It definitely was gradual progression, but at the same time, I could no longer deny to myself that he was getting worse.…
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He wouldn't or couldn't get in the car, laid down on pavement. 911 called.
I'm facing another new hurdle and need some support and advice. DH and I went to the store yesterday. On returning to the car, he had trouble getting into the vehicle. He got partially in, but, started sliding down. I couldn't manage to push him back in, but helped him ease down to pavement. I couldn't get him up. Then he…
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DH Just Diagnosed
Hi, Amy here. My 63 yr old husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers 2 weeks ago. Been dealing with mild memory & cognitive issues for a while, super relieved to have found this group! I have already contacted Eldercare Attorney. Working on applying for SSDI. Any advice on what else I should do is appreciated. It is such a…
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Therapy
I'm a caregiver to my DH. He was in a semi-truck accident 9 years ago. He spent 18 months I 7 different facilities and has been at home with 24/7 care for over 7 years. He has a brain injury and although he can walk (with a gait belt/walker), he has always needed are for all ADL's. Last year he was diagnosed with…
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Hospice, or The Cavalry is Here
Following my DW’s hospitalization for aspiration pneumonia, she returned home with her cognitive condition substantially unchanged (so much had already been lost) but her physical condition notably weaker. In particular, there are very observable declines in ambulating and transferring. We had a follow up appointment with…
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i have now experienced the 36hour day
Hello fellow travelers, My DH who is probably in late stage 5 or early 6, had a dramatic shift in behavior, and became very weak and fatigued. So... i messaged the VA doc and we tested for UTI. Yes, he has one, not for the first time, but when the culture came back the Dr. added Levaquin to the bactrim that he is already…
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Stage 6 and 7
I have been on here since last September but never posted. My DH and and me have been married for 55 yrs. He has Dementia but now in stage 6-7 at home with me . I take care of him I have learned so much from here and reading books on the subject. I sometimes feel I could write my own book. He still listens to me and but…
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DW Between Walker and Wheelchair - Can PT help me help her?
My DW’s dementia started impacting her ability to walk about 18 months ago and her physical abilities have declined since then. I suspect it has been a common progression - furniture walking to walker, wheelchair increasingly needed at times. I think her cognitive decline would make any physical therapy futile. However, I…
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Never believe what I found!
About a year or two I had to remove my DW's wedding ring to put a band-aid on her finger. I left the ring on the bathroom counter and a few days later when I went to place the ring back on the ring was gone. I searched every square inch of the house multiple times over the last two years but could never find it. I'd given…
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I’m Not Attracted to My Husband Any Longer
I am learning so much and crying so much. But fewer tears today. I had more patience for my DH tonight but perhaps at the cost of attraction. He’s an affectionate person and so am I. But caring for him in this way turns me off. His affections are feeling yucky. Deep Sadness…Another manifesting loss.
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Question
So this morning my dw and for those who don't know, she is in a mcf. She tells me she has something to tell me but " not here" so we go to the bathroom mainly because she had to go and I wondered if she was going to remember about her question. She got done going and I just followed our routine and she said again she has…
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First time
This morning at 5:30 , I was shaving, and I heard someone talking and I went upstairs, and a neighbor was in the house. My wife thinking, I wasn't home apparently left our house and went to a neighbor. This is the first time she left the house. She said that she couldn't find me and where had I been? For the last two days…
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M1
Sending new so as not to get buried Try Amazon birdhouse children. Building may be a two person task but the painting either one or two -Judith
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It Happens
Hi All, My DH's new catchphrase is "it happens". The other day when he left for the day, he didn't close or lock the front door. When I came home I didn't know what I was walking into. Luckily nothing bad happened, but when I mentioned it to him, he said "it happens". He didn't seem concerned at all. I've gotten the same…
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Been lurking
Last night, after lurking here for a few months, I decided it was time for me to step out from behind the potted palm and introduce myself. I started to write about our dementia journey, describing how we got to this point but when I looked back at what I’d written, it just seemed so convoluted and long that I wondered who…
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If you're interested in free streaming.....
Gotta pass on the good stuff. I didn't look at everything, but I did find a lot of Carol Burnett episodes, as well as other things. Those were on chickensoupTV. But there are a lot more too. https://cordcuttersnews.com/top-5-free-streaming-services-every-cord-cutter-should-try-but-most-have-never-heard-of/
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I Can Enjoy Myself Without Having to Remember Much
That was a particularly moving comment from a previous commenter on my remarks. I thank Iris for those words and all the others that have come from wise folk. Thank you. There is so much to learn…and, particularly, to understand. Here’s a insight… After listening to Teepa Snow and Care Blazer’s, it occurred to me that…
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Dreams
Every now and then I have a dream that reminds me that Freud had some things right, and last night was one of them. Preface: out of our circle of friends, there is one couple who have been stalwart through this journey and continue to visit my partner in MC every week. Up until now she has always recognized them in person,…
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Being a Caregiver
I follow Mary Millben on Social Media. Recently she posted this and it really hit home. "To most of you, you see the Mary onstage singing for U.S. Presidents, Prime Ministers, people across the world. But the real Mary, offstage, is a full-time caregiver. I am a caregiver to my precious mother. Caring for my mother,…
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Husband with Dementia
This is my first post. My husband was never good at names or driving places, so it was only about 4 years ago that I noticed his problem was greater. I have been told that he does not have ALZ but instead dementia. He was a very outgoing, likeable. charismatic person who had his own business. After it became obvious that…
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Nowhere is moving
Update: I sold my home in May and bought a new home 2500 miles away in June with my belongings in storage that home is empty and waiting. While my husband has been on memory care waiting lists, I’ve been preparing to move. Two weeks ago the call came that he was accepted into a memory care nursing home just ten minutes…
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For the newbies - about UTIs
I know there are a lot of people who have no idea what a UTI can do. If you belong on this site, you should know. Often, a PWD can have a "silent UTI". This just means there are no typical symptoms accompanying it. But they can really cause havoc for us with otherwise wild symptoms, and if left untreated, could lead to…
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I Did Exactly What I Shouldn’t Do
The most productive thing out of my mouth, after dinner, last night was not for my DH, it was for me. But it triggered him into a juvenile stance. I told him I wanted him to know how much pain I am in. You can imagine the downward spiral this caused. It was like I was desperately trying to hold on to something or create…
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New Diagnosis questions/thoughts
I suspected one day I would be in this community, I just didn’t think it would be this soon. DH and I went to neurologist today. He would not say DH had Alzheimer’s. He only offered that it could be early in a diagnosis based upon my notes. I’ve done this dance before as a caregiver to my father who passed away in his 50’s…
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I’m back
Hi everyone, Just thought I would update everyone on what is happening here in Canada with my husband. I have had to select five more homes for my husband as he is still in the hospital. This morning I had a conference call with the doctors and they are trying to control his behaviour as he acts out when they wash him,…
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His old self for a short time
Can anyone explain this. I have heard people say it happens, but wow. Today my DH was talking to me, and I realized he wasn’t searching for words, his sentences were complete and he was talking about relevant things. I sat at the able across from him and we started talking to each other, interactive. We discussed his…
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New routine
Well the upside of the final stage of FTD dementia is the routine went from herding elephants type effort to herding mice type effort. The routine is she wakes up naturally about 7 ish. I give her her crushed meds in about 2 tablespoons of ice cream. She still gets noticeably excited when I say "ice cream". Then I give her…
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An off topic feel good story
A family member had his car hit while he was in a parking lot. Damage was pretty minor. He went to get two estimates locally. First estimate was $927. Second was $855. He also had a few very minor paint scrapes on his car along with a few minor scratches, both in a different area that had been there for a while. He asked…
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MC question
I'm musing about ways to help my partner be more social (there may not be any). But one thing that strikes me--even though she now has one foot in stage 6, she can clearly distinguish who has dementia and who does not. She gravitates to the staff and avoids the other residents, as if she's afraid of them--and some who are…
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Update on Peewee
Peewee is now on hospice. He is no longer eating or drinking, and is sleeping most of his time. I don't know how long this is going to last. He is not suffering and is not in any pain. He still has his sense of humor when he is awake. He wants me next to him all the time now. He still goes to the bathroom by himself with…