Have any questions about how to use the community? Check out the Help Discussion.

New here

Johnsie
Johnsie Member Posts: 2
Second Anniversary First Comment
Member

Greetings,

I just signed up today, August 17, 2023. Thank you for this forum. I am the primary caregiver for my husband. I am still learning how to cope with his diagnosis. Sorry to ask questions, but where can I find the "stages" of Alzheimer's? I see many of you mention a stage with a number. I need to know what stage my husband is in. THANK YOU.

Comments

  • M1
    M1 Member Posts: 6,788
    1,500 Care Reactions 1,500 Likes 5000 Comments 1,000 Insightfuls Reactions
    Member
    edited August 2023

    Welcome to the forum, and of course it's fine to ask questions--that's how we all learn from each other. Sorry you are facing this. I think this is a live link, the original Tam Cummings page is not where it used to be. There are useful, you may also want to look up the FAST scale, as it's called.


  • Ed1937
    Ed1937 Member Posts: 5,090
    Sixth Anniversary 2500 Comments 500 Likes 250 Care Reactions
    Member
  • tgeno
    tgeno Member Posts: 34
    25 Likes 10 Comments 5 Insightfuls Reactions First Anniversary
    Member

    Welcome to the forum. I've seen all kinds of "stages". There is no one universally accepted stage measurement. My wife is in what I consider an "early" stage. People can exhibit signs of being in multiple stages at the same time. The progression of Alzheimer's varies with the individual. My approach is to deal with what I'm seeing in front of me and prepare for what's to come.

  • Johnsie
    Johnsie Member Posts: 2
    Second Anniversary First Comment
    Member

    Thank you, everyone, for your replies. It took me a few minutes to navigate and find the replies, but I found them. (SMILE). I look forward to communicating with you all as I go through this journey. It's hard watching my husband get sad because he loses his keys or wallet and can't remember yesterday. He is a retired military man who is used to being in total control, and now he has no control. Plus, we're still battling the VA for his benefits. It's a lot right now, but I feel better now having a space to share and receive information. Thanks for listening.

  • sandwichone123
    sandwichone123 Member Posts: 775
    500 Comments 100 Insightfuls Reactions 100 Likes Third Anniversary
    Member

    Please ask questions! Lots of people on this forum are isolated caring for their loved ones, and being able to provide support and information and share their hard-won wisdom is a bright spot indeed!

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 4,433
    Legacy Membership 2500 Comments 500 Likes 250 Care Reactions
    Member

    The VA has many benefits for PWDs (persons with dementia) but it may be difficult to access them. Someone recently posted about Agent Orange possibly being a cause of more disabilities. Check that out.

    Iris

  • H.V.
    H.V. Member Posts: 3
    First Comment
    Member
    edited August 2023

    I think the Reisberg Scale is the most accepted (also called the Global Deterioration Scale).

    It can be found here: https://www.scribd.com/document/282913503/cgass


    Here's another link, more informative:

    https://www.dementiacarecentral.com/aboutdementia/facts/stages/

  • SDianeL
    SDianeL Member Posts: 1,000
    500 Care Reactions 250 Insightfuls Reactions 250 Likes 500 Comments
    Member

    Welcome Johnsie. So glad you're here but sorry for the reason. If you haven't done so, get to an Elder Care Attorney and get a DPOA done asap. So glad I did. My DH was diagnosed 2 years ago and I have used it several times since he can no longer understand documents or sign his name. Also get the book "The 36 Hour Day" it helped me so much and was recommended to me by a nurse. Get a Veteran Service Office in your County to help with claims or benefits at the VA. If he was in Vietnam and exposed to agent orange, they will pay and give him a rating based on the current progress of the disease. If he can still care for himself they would rate him very low but you can keep appealing. The NIH did a study and found that someone exposed to agent orange has a 50% greater risk of getting dementia. You can find it online. Someone posted on this forum a link to the Stages and Behaviors. It's the best and most thorough and easily understood one I've seen. Please stay in touch. Message me if I can help with the VA. We've been fighting it for other things for 35 yrs. Here's the link to the Stages document: https://tala.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tam-Cummings-LLC-Handouts.pdf

  • ldesrochers
    ldesrochers Member Posts: 5
    5 Care Reactions First Comment
    Member

    Hello. Check out the Discussion Group: “No one is prepared for Alzheimer’s"…..this is about the full story of another woman, myself, who cared for my husband over the course of seven years. I have written a book on this story. It is hard to predict when this or that will occur. But it should be helpful to you to read how one woman managed the evolving disease . It is a hard road, but you can make it, and one clue is flexibility as things change Much love to you in this endeavor.

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more