New to the community
Comments
-
Welcome. The first thing you need to do is contact an Elder Law attorney and get your legal documents in order while your husband can still sign documents. Do the same with HIPPA forms to give you full access. You will need to take over all finances. Get a list of all accounts with log in and passwords. Do the same for all banks, brokerage accounts, computer and phone. Call your local Council for the Aging and ask what services are available including adult day care. Call in home care agencies and get prices. Put TILE gps trackers on phone, keys, wallet. It tracks the items and the person. Get a plan b in place in the event you can no longer care for your husband. This involves touring assisted living/memory care facilities and putting your husband on a waitlist with a refundable deposit. Buy the book The 36 Hour Day. It will help you understand the disease and plan ahead.
Call your car insurance company and ask if they will cover an accident with this diagnosis. Most will not. You can get sued for everything you own. There are businesses that will access if he is safe to drive with a three hour driving test. One of the best pieces of knowledge we received here is that with this disease, his brain is broken. You can not reason with him. His reality is not yours and never will be again. You need to live in his world. Don’t disagree or argue. Apologize for things you didn’t do to keep peace. Come back here for help and support. The people here are extremely supportive and knowledgeable.4 -
I already have access to his account luckily and my payee for my own affairs is a elder law attorney so I got that all covered. My DH is my world and as it is he is very close to not being able to sign his name
1 -
You are doing a great job caring for your husband.
0 -
I'm working on getting poa and medical over him as we speak
1 -
where are you located?
0 -
Welcome. So sorry about your husband's diagnosis. My husband passed away from PCA in August 2024. His initial diagnosis was MCI - Dementia, probably vascular. After I sent his behaviors to his doctors, his Neurologist reviewed his last CT Scan and replied that his behaviors & symptoms were consistent with Alzheimer's-Posterior Cortical Atrophy. Learn all you can about this rare Dementia variant. It affects their ability to interpret & understand what their eyes see. My husband's eye exams were fine but he complained constantly about dry eyes, dark spots and other eye issues.
PCA progresses like other Alzheimer's. You can use the DBAT Staging tool to determine what stage he's in. In addition, PCA-Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) primarily affects the back regions of the brain (the occipital, parietal, and occipitotemporal cortices), which leads to severe difficulties with visual processing, spatial awareness, and reading or recognizing objects. PCA is like looking at a jumbled puzzle that their brain can't make sense of.
To help him, I put night lights in the bedroom, hallway and bathroom to help him see his way to the bathroom. I put a battery operated light on the toilet tank so he could "see" the toilet. I put toilet bowl cleaner that turned the water blue which helped his aim. That helped for awhile. They also recommend a brightly colored toilet seat. Contrast and bright colors are helpful. For example, a bright colored plate or bowl.
To make a home safer and easier to navigate for someone with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), use high-contrast colors, reduce clutter, and improve lighting to compensate for visual and spatial processing changes.
Visual and Spatial Modifications:
- Use high-contrast colors: Choose brightly colored or contrasting plates, bowls, and cutting boards (such as a red plate on a white table) so items stand out against their background. [1, 2, 3]
- Mark edges and steps: Apply bright red or contrasting colored tape to the edges of stairs, light switches, doorframes, and the top or bottom of steps to help with depth perception. [1, 2, 3]
- Add markers to glass: Place bright stickers or markers on sliding glass doors, large windows, and glass coffee tables so they are clearly visible. [1, 2]
- Improve and soften lighting: Keep rooms evenly lit and turn on lights before dark. Use lampshades to eliminate harsh glares, and add automatic nightlights in hallways and bathrooms. [1, 2, 3]
Organizing the Home
- Declutter pathways: Remove loose rugs, floor cords, and unnecessary furniture to prevent tripping and clear walking paths.
- Keep items in fixed places: Store everyday items like cups, utensils, and toiletries in the exact same spot every time.
- Simplify surfaces: Clear kitchen counters and tabletops, leaving out only what is immediately needed.
- Use plain furnishings: Avoid patterned carpets, tablecloths, or complex wallpaper, which can confuse spatial awareness and make objects harder to find
He should not be driving. The Neuro Psychologist said he had visuo-spatial difficulty, judging speed and space and that he would run into someone or run over someone. I explained that to him and I said that if he were in an accident, even if it wasn't his fault, he could be sued and lose everything. Also insurance may not cover it if he has a diagnosis in his medical records. He gave me his keys the next morning. This may be your toughest challenge. I told my DH that I would now be his personal chauffeur. If you can't get him to agree, do what you must to stop his driving. Disable the car, hide the keys, etc.
I also believe that my husband's Alzheimer's affected other things. He had 3 episodes where his blood pressure shot up, his blood sugar was extremely high (we was a diabetic but controlled with insulin) and he was sweaty, dizzy & nauseous. 2x he went to the ER and they found nothing. That was about Stage 5-6. He went into MC shortly thereafter so I don't know if those episodes ever happened again.
Read the book "The 36 Hour Day" which is about Alzheimer's, not specifically about PCA but will help you understand the disease and give tips on how to care for him. Also search online for dementia caregiving videos by Tam Cummings & Teepa Snow. They were very helpful.
Feel free to DM me if you have specific questions. Here's a link to a Teepa Snow video Part 1 of 3.3
Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more
Categories
- All Categories
- 696 Living With Alzheimer's or Dementia
- 401 I Am Living With Alzheimer's or Other Dementia
- 295 I Am Living With Younger Onset Alzheimer's
- 19K Supporting Someone Living with Dementia
- 5.9K I Am a Caregiver (General Topics)
- 9.3K Caring For a Spouse or Partner
- 3.4K Caring for a Parent
- 247 Caring Long Distance
- 205 Supporting Those Who Have Lost Someone
- 13 Discusiones en Español
- 1 Vivir con Alzheimer u Otra Demencia
- 1 Vivo con Alzheimer u Otra Demencia
- Vivo con Alzheimer de Inicio Más Joven
- 12 Prestación de Cuidado
- 3 Soy Cuidador (Temas Generales)
- 8 Cuidar de un Padre
- 23 ALZConnected Resources
- View Discussions For People Living with Dementia
- View Discussions for Caregivers
- Discusiones en Español
- Browse All Discussions
- Dementia Resources
- 8 Account Assistance
- 15 Help
