i am so confused

Chris53

My DH has been diagnosed with early stage dementia. He has been tested and it is not Alzheimer's. His short term memory is getting worse every day. He cant remember where we are going at all. I do the driving now. As an example I will ask him over and over to put is partial plate in. By the time he gets up the stairs he forgets. My confusion is how many types of dementia are there? He is 83. Is this age related? His neurologist pit him on Memantine and Donozal and said see you next year. He is exhausted all the time. Any advice would be a blessing

trottingalong

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/74053/i-am-so-confused

I do not know how many different types of dementia there are, but he sounds like so many of our spouses here. This does not sound age related. My husband is 81, I know other men and women his age that are perfectly fine. One of the first things I learned here, was their brain is broken. What they used to comprehend is now incomprehensible. I will hand my husband his nightly meds, watch him take them and 5 minutes later he will ask me if he took his medicine. He has a doctor appt this afternoon. Not even 30 minutes ago I reminded him. Just now he was going upstairs to get dressed. I told him to put clean clothes on (silly me) and he asked why. Did not remember the appt. I’m sorry you are going through this. You will most likely have to hand him his partials and watch him put them in. It’s like a forgetful child.

Biggles

i think dementia is the most baffling disease I have found most of the medical field including neurologists to have very little understanding of it and certainly no use with how to cope. I have learnt from everyones experience on this site. To me my DH 77 years runs a similar pattern to our young grandson who has Autism. Quite helpful as our daughter understands various behaviours only too well. Like Trottingalong we have friends in their 70’s and 80’s they are just fine leading active vibrant lives but we are not and my DH has broken bits floating around in his head and sometimes he’s really wacky and yet sometimes he’s not. But I know the progression is there, walking is getting harder and through our wonderful health system we have just been given a lovely new wheel chair. At the moment folded away I wont use it until I have to. He is almost non verbal and is totally reliant on me 24/7. But we have music and dancing and we go on. Be gentle on yourself take care.

SDianeL

welcome. Glad you’re here but not for the reason. This is the place for info & support. It is not age related. The general term is “white matter disease” & Dementia is the overarching disease and there are several types. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia. Some things to do immediately. Get your legal affairs in order. Meet with an elder care attorney. You will need a DPOA & Medical POA & HIPPA and wills. Read the book “The 36 Hour Day” which helped me after my husbands diagnosis. Search online for dementia caregiving videos. Tam Cummings and Teepa Snow have good ones. One thing I learned here is “you can’t reason with someone whose reasoner is broken” Search online for a chart that shows the 7 Srages of Dementia and the behaviors in each stage. It will give you a general idea. Behaviors can overlap stages and may not show until later. Look for the stage with the most behaviors your husband is having. Come here often for support or to vent. We understand what you’re going through.

Michele P

There are at least five types of dementias that I am aware of. Further testing ordered by a neurologist should lead to a diagnosis.

HollyBerry

Hello and welcome. You mentioned that he's started two new meds and he's exhausted all the time. Consider that it's a lot of work to live in the world when your brain doesn't work like it used to, and just being here can be exhausting. And also, the time of day he takes those meds can affect how they make him feel. My partner takes two antidepressants as well, and we went through a lot of trial and error to figure out the right timing and the right combinations. Observe closely for a week or two and see if you can tell if the meds are making him even more tired at certain times of day. If you're not getting the help you want from your neurologist, maybe a really good pharmacist could be helpful. When my mom was in a continuum-of-care assisted living, we had access to a pharmacist for consultation and questions and they were amazing.

Chris53

Thank you for the responses. They are very helpful and caring.

H1235

Welcome. Being tired is a common dementia symptom. I agree with Sdianel that if you haven’t seen a lawyer, now is the time. I think the more you learn about dementia the easier it is (not that anything about this is easy). I have attached a staging tool you may find helpful and a good article. This is a great place for advice or to just rant.

DBAT.pdf

understanding-the-dementia-experience.pdf