New to the forum-Questions

dynamos

I am new to the forum. My wife has Alzheimer's and was diagnosed officially a couple of months ago. She is 71. She has balance issues, difficulty getting up and standing, very poor appetite, and is sleeping a lot. Pretty much all day today. She complains of pain--sciatica, although I think it is something that is happening because of the disease. I have read about about the stages and am wondering what stage she is in. Even though the full onset was only 3-4 months ago, she seems to be fairly advanced. I am wondering how her situation compares with others.

charley0419

My DH was diagnosed 1 yr ago she’s 77 mild Alzheimer’s, I see her short memory has gotten worse, gets confused at times. Neurologist said no driving. She has anosognosia thought denial but big difference. Everything else she’ll capable of doing but doesn’t cook anymore, I think too much for her. But I guess my wife just processing slowly but that can change in a heartbeat

Jeanne C.

Hello and welcome. This forum has been a lifeline for me. I hope you find support and knowledge here, too. The stages you read about are from the FAST scale or DBAT. The stages are based on abilities of the PWD. Here's a link to an earlier post that should be helpful. It includes several assessment tools and some other great information.

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/65993/excellent-handout-packet-dementia-stages-cgs-actively-dying-tam-cummings#latest

Denise1847

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/67195/new-to-the-forum-questions

Welcome to the forum and sorry you have to be here. Wow, your DW has advanced very quickly given that this disease usually takes years to advance through each stage. I am not a doctor so take my comments accordingly. You mentioned balance issues, which makes me wonder about other possible diagnoses. Dementia can be caused by something called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which is treatable. Also, consider Parkinson's. Consider asking the doctor to explain to you how he/she came upon the diagnosis and whether there is a possibility that it is NPH. The physicians on this forum can explain this better.

dynamos

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/189504#Comment_189504

Thanks for you comment. DW has had a full work-up at a major University Health Center. Not NPH or Parkinson. It is Dementia/Alzheimer's.

Kmany

I'm not sure if this is where I can start a new post as I am very new here.
My husband has some form of dementia & refuses to see a doctor for a diagnosis.
He gets easily confused, is very forgetful, some days the sun downing is worse than other days, his bathing & eating habits have changed. He retired a few years ago but I am still working full time from home to keep an eye on him. I spend a lot of time on the phone for my work. DH interrupts frequently & I cannot put the insurance companies on hold for more than 1 minute at a time. I have very little additional support with him.
Do I start a daily schedule to keep him occupied? What type of activities is recommended for him while I'm working?