DH diagnosed in Moderate Stage

justbreathe2

Our first appointment with Geriatric doctor today was good and i was happy with time she spent with my DH. She did some testing and after 3 years with MCI, was not surprised that he was diagnosed in Moderate stage. It is the longest stage, but can move faster with illness or life events. Since he is not displaying any hallucinations or wandering he will not be starting any psychotic meds. Have many of you been in Moderate Stage for long and taking any psychotic meds?

Worriedwife123

Hi,

We haven’t been tested yet with MCI but my DH has mild vascular dementia. I wonder when are we going to be required to take the test. His word salad has reduced since last year and neurological tests said his status is alert and oriented 3x to time, place and person.

jsps139_

We are in Year 11 since diagnosis of Alz. My husband got lost for over an hour while walking in our neighborhood 6 yrs ago. That was the beginning of moderate stage, I believe. Now, he can no longer shave or take care of his dentures, and he needs help getting dressed after his shower. He forgets who I am and where we live. His language skills have really deteriorated this last year. But, he still says “hi” to neighbors and makes a joke here and there. He still eats by himself. He gets the mail everyday (located in the lobby of our apartment building).
If you’re thinking about Mild, Moderate, Severe Stages …. Moderate can be very very long.
My husband was in very good physical shape when he was diagnosed and continued to exercise and eat healthy after his diagnosis. He is still very healthy physically. His labs are all perfect, perfect BP, etc. I think that contributes to a very long Moderate stage, but who knows??

My DH had lots of hallucinations, delusions, and angry outbursts. He has been on Seroquel 50mg in the am and pm. Hallucinations stopped, delusions continue but with very little agitation, angry outbursts are only once in awhile now. Caring for him is tolerable since he was put on meds.

SDianeL

my DH had symptoms since 2020 and was diagnosed in 2021 and passed in August. There is no way to know how long each stage lasts. It depends on the area of the brain affected. My daughter-in-law is a nurse and advised me right after his diagnosis to get our affairs in order and start looking into memory care facilities. She had experience in caring for dementia patients. I kept a list of his behaviors and sent them to his doctors at least monthly or sooner if it was something he needed medication for. This helped them help me. I met a woman at memory care whose husband was in memory care 12 years so really no way to know. There may be plateaus and then steep declines before the next plateau. Just enjoy each day take one day at a time. 💜

justbreathe2

Thank you for your comments. My DH has declined in the last 3-6 months with very short memory and confusion at times. He is in good health except for a bad knee that causes him pain. I hope to take care of him as long as I can. Memory care all have a waiting list and what I hear from others it is best to get his name just in case. It’s a big step for me. I need to work on taking it a day at a time.