Brother diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Decline

registrar

Hi. Newbie here. My 66 yo brother has MCD. He's on one coast, I'm on the other. Quick note - our mom had dementia, our dad Alzheimers. Claimed both of them. My brother went from mild signs - forgetting words, getting lost going somewhere familiar. It seems to be getting worse. Ex, he asked me about Meals on Wheels so I questioned if he was trouble cooking. He is. He's afraid to use his stove now so only eats things microwaved or that don't need to be cooked in the stove/oven. He's normally a very social person and although he loves being around people, he's become inhibited as he can't follow conversations and too much "chatter" confuses and upsets him. How can I best support him from 3,000 miles away?

towhee

Hi registrar, welcome to the forum, but sorry you need to be here. I apologize for your post not being answered sooner. This section does not get viewed as often and a post here can get buried. You might want to post on the "Caring for a Parent" or "I am a Caregiver" board. You are a caregiver, even if you are at a distance. Also, if a post is not answered in 48 hours, feel free to post on it asking for a response, or just type "ttt" which will send it up to the top where it will be more noticeable.

When someone is diagnosed with MCI and then their ability to do daily tasks declines, they have sometimes progressed into Alzheimer's. How you can support him varies with the amount of support he has in his current location. If he has family there, your role might just be to provide information to them and to him and provide emotional support. If he has no family, significant other, or close friends who might assist in his care, your role might be to find him assistance so that he is safe and cared for as the disease progresses, whether that assistance is governmental or provided in some way by you.

You might want to try calling the Alz.org helpline-- 1-800-272-3900.

Caring at a distance is hard, I wish you and your brother well.

registrar

I'm technically not a caretaker and it's my brother. He's 67 and on the west coast, I'm on the east coast. I appreciate you sending the helpline number. I'll give them a ring tomorrow morning. Oh, and I'll check out the I'm A Caregiver site. Many thanks!!!

registrar

Quick update: I'm his only family and he has very few friends, and losing more each day due to his behavioral/social issues. Thank you so much for your time!

eaglemom

Perhaps you can help him to find a support group to get plugged into. It sounds as though he needs the socialization that a group would offer. Many are still on Zoom, its not as good as in person, but it does give him contact with others who understand what he's going through.

eagle

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.