Diagnosis Difficulties

AnMaSi

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site. I guess for me as a caregiver for my husband is knowing what the diagnosis is. He was recently hospitalized and I was given three possible diagnosis. (Ubspecified pyschosis, frontotemporal dementia, paranoid delusions). He was hospitalized several times within a short span of time and after research and speaking with others I was told that anesthesia could be part of the problems he was experiencing. Now that he's home for a few weeks I still see something has changed in his eyes. I want to know how to prepare for what is to come. By the way, he's 75 years old and in pretty good physical shape.

Thanks everyone

harshedbuzz

@AnMaSi

Hi and welcome. I am sorry for your reason to be here but pleased you found this place.

Next steps are generally getting your legal documents in order. That would mean DPOAs for both of you (with someone else as your agent— this can be done discretely so your DH isn't aware). Unless you have robust LTC insurance and/or unlimited funds, ask about Medicaid planning as well. You don't want to make financial moves that delay acceptance into Medicaid if you need that safety net down the road. Ideally, you should see a CELA if available near you.

National Elder Law Foundation

I would lock down the finances. PWD in the early mid-stages whose judgement, memory and executive function are impaired can ruin themselves financially. Those with FTD are even more prone to this sort of behavior. DH had a boss with FTD who spent lavishly on his kids and stepkids buying them beach properties and basically impoverishing his wife who divorced him over this pre-diagnosis. He came to FTD with a lot of charm and cognitive reserve, so the presentation initially was subtle. I would freeze credit with the 3 major bureaus asap. Mom neglected to do this, and one day when he was bored, he went to a ford dealer and traded in his late model blue Taurus for a red one and paid full MSRP. He shouldn't be managing money, which may mean you have to shut down his use of the internet including his smart phone. Mom refused to do this as the computer was the one thing that entertained him and gave her some time to herself. He lost $360K day trading before he forgot his passwords.

Now that he's been home a while and the effects of the anesthesia and hospitalizations have stabilized, it would make sense for him to be evaluated by a neurologist or memory center to get a clearer picture of what's going on. Medications can be different for different forms of dementia. Cold-blooded as it sounds, if he does have dementia which is a terminal condition, that knowledge may inform how you make medical decisions around routine screenings and other procedures.

Good luck. This is difficult stuff.
HB