Hello, I'm New Here

My husband was formally diagnosed at age 61 but probably could have been diagnosed at a much earlier age. I did the same thing as you read a lot of books, etc. The information was helpful but sometimes I feel like I am not keeping up with the changes. Every new progression seems to catch me off guard because it can be it can be pretty individual it seems like. I think the hardest thing is just watching the person you love turn into a completely different person. The one thing I keep telling myself is you have to Live within the four corners of their world which can be difficult. None of this is easy and it sounds like you are doing the right things. Try the book "Hello Alzheimers". It was a difficult read but helpful.

welcome. Sorry for the reason you are here. Some helpful resources: read the book “The 36 Hour Day” and search online for dementia caregiving videos by Tam Cummings or Teepa Snow. Also develop a Plan B for Memory Care in case you are no longer able to care for him. Many facilities have waiting lists. Come here often. You are not alone. 💜

Welcome. You were given most of the excellent advice I would have given you. A few other suggestions: Put TILE gps trackers on wallets, phones, keys. It tracks the items and person through the Life 360 app. You will have to take over all finances. Get account numbers, log in and password for all accounts, phones, computers. Try and establish routines and structure that are predictable. Changes are hard for your loved one. Don’t argue with them. Their brain is broken. Their reality is not yours. Take blame and apologize for things you never did. Your local police or sheriff’s department should have a program called Project Lifesaver that will give you a gps tracking watch for your husband. It will track him anywhere in the U. S. If lost. Call your bank and brokerage firm and get emails if any money moves in or out of your husband’s account. Brain HQ online games help with memory and cognition. Mayo Clinic recommends it. Call your local Council on Aging and find out what is available including adult day care. Call local in home care agencies and get rates and information. Get your husband on a waitlist with a refundable deposit in a memory care facility in the event you can no longer care for him. Do this asap due to long waitlists. Keep a journal of new symptoms or behaviors to share privately with doctors. Do not share in front of your husband. Come back here for help. People here are extremely knowledgeable and supportive.

I just finished Dasha Kiper’s 2024 book Travelers to Unimaginable Lands…stories of dementia, the caregiver and the Human brain. It reads much like Oliver Sacks The Man who mistook his Wife for a Hat, in that it’s a very compassionate look at not only dementia but also what the caregivers go though. I really enjoyed reading it.