Overwhelmed caring for wife with FTD

mwoolley

My 75 year old wife was recently diagnosed with FTD. I am 77 myself and in compromised physical health due to my Vietnam war injuries. We sold our home and moved into a retirement facility which made life less complicated. But the issues I face caring for my wife are almost more than I can manage. I do not dare leave her alone for fear she will wander off and get lost. She has lucid moments, though those are getting fewer and farther between. I feel committed to caring for her and guilty for complaining that I have no life of my own. I have read around six books on caring for dementia affected loved ones and have gained a few tips. It is exhausting. Advice is welcomed!

SDianeL

welcome to the place for info and support. So sorry about your wife. Sadly, soon your wife will require 24/7 care. The options then would be family help, hire help or place her in a memory care facility. Very few people can care for their spouse without help. As you already know, It’s mentally and physically exhausting. Short term, look up your county agency on aging and see if there is a day care for seniors. That would give you respite and time for yourself and to rest. I would start looking into a Plan B now for options when you can no longer care for her yourself. That may come sooner than later.

harshedbuzz

@mwoolley

Hi and welcome. I am sorry for the reason you are here but pleased you found this place.

FTD is an especially difficult diagnosis for caregivers.

The board you posted on is mostly adult children caring for a parent. You are welcome to post here, or on any board, but the one for Spouses and Partners gets more traffic and has a number of members who are Vietnam vets and who have been caregivers to spouses with a diagnosis of FTD.

HB