Dentist and Optomistrist

CindyBum

Did any of you decide at some point that these appointments are no longer necessary? My DW is entering Stage 5 and is beginning to struggle recognizing items right in front of her. I know that's the dementia and not her eyes.

She's also always had great teeth and took excellent care of them. When do I stop the hassle of trying to get her in the car for that appointment? Do I ever?

CampCarol

My DH has always had bad teeth, so I’m planning to continue to take him as long as he’ll tolerate it. I had thought we would discontinue eye exams going forward, but recently he has started refusing to wear his glasses and now is having headaches. I’m not sure if that’s related or not. If things were going as well as you describe above, I think I would stop. Why put her (and you!) through that angst?

M1

We stopped both in stage 5.

CindyBum

Thank you!

Shevie

Hello, I am Shevy, my DH is about the same stage with ALZ . I feel if at this stage, to deal with the frustration for them to try to follow simple directions in an exam is a lot to the one with dementia. My opinion only to do my best as caregiver to take care of my husband myself, not put him through the frustration of exams unless a Dr. appt

This is such a brutal disease and how it affects our loved ones. you take good care of you.

tigersmom

we gave up on the dentist only recently, just as he was sliding into stage 6. But it had been a long time since he’d gone for a cleaning, and our wonderful dentist did it herself.

Quilting brings calm

mom hasn’t been to a dentist in years - false teeth. No dentist means she’s not getting the oral cancer check though.

She’s still seeing the optometrist for eye exams and a specialist to give her the wet macular degeneration shot ( every 3 months). That would still be allowed even if she went on hospice, as eyesight is comfort care.

GothicGremlin

We stopped the dentist right around mid-stage 6. Peggy always had great teeth, and loved going to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned (I know). She tolerated going for quite awhile, plus she had a great dentist, who had other patients with dementia. She would get Peggy to sing before doing the actual exam. It worked wonders. The big problem was getting Peggy there. I think this was the FTD part, but she didn't know where she was in space, and so it took two of us to get her in and out of the car. Sometimes it took a half hour to do this. We eventually decided it wasn't safe for Peggy anymore, so we let it go.

The optometrist was a bit more difficult, and we ended exams in early stage 6. Her vision hadn't changed much, but her perception had, so it was difficult to get a good read on her eyes. Truth is, because her perception was so bad she couldn't see with or without her glasses. So why give her the trauma of getting to the car, getting in and out of the car, and then a frustrating exam, followed by a traumatic trip back to memory care? We let it go.

P.S. I always thought it was "necessary" for her to go, but at a certain point the cons outweighed the pros, so that's why we stopped.

Vitruvius

The MCF my DW is in has a dental hygienist who visits every three months or so. I do use this service to get DW’s teeth cleaned, which the hygienist does while my DW remains in her Broda chair which reclines quite a bit. The cost is very reasonable. The aides brush her teeth daily, but flossing is nearly impossible to do to someone who can’t cooperate, I used to try with those floss picks which provided pretty minimal cleaning. So I have the hygienist do it just to avoid any gum or decay issues. As for any real dental work I’m just hoping it never becomes necessary.

As far as optometry, we stopped that quite awhile ago, after it became difficult to take her to appointments, and this was well before her placement. She was talking drops for a pre-glaucoma condition for quite awhile after that, but I stopped them when she started keeping her eyes closed most of the time.

fmb

Stopped both in late Stage 5/early Stage 6. Even seven years ago, DH was having trouble with the optometric exam. He was unable to determine which lens made his vision better or worse. He was having 6-month checks for macular degeneration, but those ceased when he became wheelchair bound and unable to be transported.

Quilting brings calm

== He was having 6-month checks for macular degeneration, but those ceased when he became wheelchair bound and unable to be transported.==

This is going to be my problem with my mom and her shots. The clinic volunteers come to the car with a wheelchair for her ( she normally uses a walker otherwise). The wheelchair is their policy and it’s needed anyway because mom takes 1/2 Valium to keep her calm for these shots. The doctor doesn’t want to give her the shot in the wheelchair - he wants her to be in his office chair, elevated and laid back. It’s becoming increasingly hard to get her to get between the wheelchair and the office chair during the office visit. She’s holding on to anything in reach for that few inches of space. I am concerned about what will happen when she can’t walk. And that’s going to happen because she can barely walk now.

Nowhere

In my husband’s case we stopped when he entered his facility. I had hoped we’d be able to continue his dental care but he was a flight risk and I a trigger so he missed 3 years of dental care. Now in advanced dementia he is more peaceful and cooperative. He’s successfully had his teeth cleaned twice in the past year. The dentist took a few X-rays and found a large cavity on one side of an upper molar. She won’t extract it as long as it’s not causing him pain, It is a relief for me to know his teeth are not infected or broken. I monitor his teeth brushing and set up his water pick nightly. He does his own dental care with stand by prompts. We’ve given up on floss as he couldn’t manage it. One of my first jobs was working for an oral surgeon and there were many painful warnings anvout the importance of oral hygiene. This routine gives me peace of mind!

marier

My husband no longer wears his glasses nor goes for regular eye exams. The eye exams stopped in stage 5.

However he does continue to have his teeth cleaned every 3 months. The dentist does specialize in patients with dementia and special needs. My DH currently is early in stage 7.