Frustration and denial

Hi!

I know the frustration. My husband was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in January 2020. He started this phase in 2022. He now has started with Sundowning Syndrome. You may want to look this up now. It is a worse nightmare. I found out he had this last month. You need to have a very good schedule in place plus a very good night time routine. My biggest issues at time is he isn't sleeping, he becomes angry easily, he attacked me physically twice last night, he talks alot, he can't sit still for very long. He is going to a facility today which specializes in geriatric dementia and Alzheimer's.

We are dealing with MCI. We are both still working. DH says this has not impacted his work but I don’t know how it isn’t. Most days I notice issues a lot and other good days I think maybe he isn’t as bad as I think he is. Some days I will talk to him about someone we know and stuff they did. His confusion about who I am talking about sometimes makes me wish I didn’t say anything because it’s more work explaining who people are than the story I was telling him.

this disease sucks and we are just beginning

Everyone will tell you you can't have a rational conversation with someone who's irrational. One of the hardest things is to let go of being right. (Sometimes I succeed. :-) As long as the PWD is not doing something that is a health or safety risk, you try to go along.

Yes he is. So far, that is going okay. Mainly to the golf course and local stores.

I really feel for you! Right now my husband is going through a phase of talking too much and not recognizing social cues that people are trying to escape from him. I have had to rescue a few. However, I know the time will come when he will stop talking and that will be heartbreaking.

Help me with distractions . I get so overwhelmed when he repeats things that I already know married 56 years!) he talks like we do not know each other and he explains everything in detail like I was not there! My brain almost wxplodes

Oh my gosh, I get it! The distractions I use that work so far are asking him to help me with a small chore such as changing a lightbulb, folding laundry, and yes, I save things like that for him to do. I recently found a box of his old record albums in a closet, so I borrowed my SIL's record player, and I'll ask him to try out some music. He loves music, so this one is easy. He just doesn't think of it himself. 2 nights ago, I got him to clean out his 2 sock drawers and that took him 2 hours. We're donating them to a men's shelter. Does this help?

Sometimes I take short videos (a couple 20 second videos) of him repeating everything (he doesn’t even notice that I am recording it) and then I look at the video every once in awhile. It is heartbreaking to see, but it also helps me understand how hard this disease is on him.

Just today DH told a story that he had written a check to a friend for $40 and friends wife changed to $400! I verified with friend and friend said no check was ever written. I recorded that conversation as he told it. He fabricated this story! I have noticed other instances but this worries me!

Me too. When I am tired and overwhelmed I almost explode especially when conversation is negative!

Bubalee, the making up of stories like the one your DH told about the check is called confabulation, and it is very common as the disease progresses. Again, it is generally not recommended to correct or deny, but just go with it with nonspecific responses. My partner is now entering stage 6 and very little that she says has any basis in reality now.