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Discussion List
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I’m feeling guilty - second guessing decisions
Hi - I have the longer story below, but basically, I’m wondering if my decisions for my mom’s care made her dementia progress faster. I know this may not be true, but she’s progressing pretty quickly. She just turned 77. I’ve tried not to, but I’m feeling a lot of guilt about the decisions I’ve made. I apologize. This is…
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His understanding vs reality ... how to respond.
My DH is mid to late stage 5 depending on the day (as you all know). We were invited to dinner by our neighbors, a couple we've known for some time. My DH gave a heavy sigh when I told him and when I asked why he said it was because he couldn't say much (can't keep up with conversations). I said we didn't have to go, but…
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Today Is Another Day
So today is Monday morning I am working on the gentle discipline of our routine, with the help of some soft music with words of love to keep me on track. We shower, we breakfast with the birds in my garden outside. I have my regular phone call from our daughter. DH is now having trouble swallowing his pills but we get…
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Memory Care Adjustment Challenges
We just moved my Dad to memory care two weeks ago. My mom continued to take care of him at home as long as she could, so he had a good routine, but could not longer handle the challenges of caretaking. My dad has always been opposed to moving out. He is having an incredibly hard time adjusting to a new place. We thought it…
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Taking care of 91 year old mother
It’s been 2-3 years since her anger started kicking in. I am only son, she lives alone. She has VD and perhaps some Alz. I am at wits end. Have joined support groups, 1x1 therapy, have a supporting wife and son. But LO continues to accuse me of stealing, hiding, ignoring abandoning. Every conversation is bad. I am there 3…
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Pop Part 2
Things are progressing rapidly. He is getting aggressive with home health and acting out. Nothing physical, just being ugly and wanting them to leave. I have a VA appt to discuss medications for sleep, depression, anxiety and calmness. Any of you have this? If so, how did you manage?
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Father with dementia, just moved into my home
My 87 yo widowed father has alz(diagnoised 8 years ago) and vd. He fell asleep after a dr appt in awaiting room and was wandering confused with delirium in the facility after he woke up. He was seen in the ER and admitted for mental status change. He has had a couple of other incidents similar but not in the…
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Seeking thoughts on timing for MC
I've been the sole caregiver for my 79-yr-old DW for almost five years. (I now have aides two mornings a week.) She has ALZ and vascular dementia, probably now in late stage 5 / early 6. The past six months have seen a sizable deterioration. There may be "silent seizures" involved. She is still fairly healthy physically,…
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Newly diagnosed DH with early onset Alzeheimers
My DH was diagnosed with early onset ALZ November 2023 at the age of 62. We are doing a trial drug through Lily in Plymouth Meeting, PA. He'll have been in the trial for over 15 months as of Feb 2025. I am wondering what early symptoms I should look out for. He has a bad short term memory, finds it difficult to find words…
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Does anyone else worry that they are making the wrong decisions?
My dad has some good days and can be very lucid/agreeable and other days he is very forgetful and or angry. Right now he is angry, refusing to get out of bed, eat or drink, take his meds because I won't take him back to Florida to live in his own house. I tell him that I am following the instructions from the doctor and…
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Be careful what you say as a joke <sigh>
So my DH (mid to late stage 5) was talking to me yesterday about how he was itcy most of the time and he thinks it's the body wash or something he's using. Although I don't ever see him scratching at himself and I'm with him 98% of the time. He showed me his arms (which looked pretty normal to me) so I jokingly say "ah,…
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Sundowning is torture
My DW is suffering from FTD and is likely past the halfway mark of progression, as if that means anything. Most, but not all mornings she is cooperative with our caretakers and accepts her morning shower and getting up, dressed, and moved into our living area. The afternoon and evenings present the rough spot in her day.…
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Time Marches On
I get mad at time as it marches on, seemingly forgetting that something devastating happened on June 26th. It never slowed down once to take notice. It just keeps marching on—day by day, moment by moment—keeping track of the days without him. Constantly reminding me: It’s been this long since I heard his voice. This long…
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Open to any and all suggestions!
Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from others who have been through this with a parent or loved one with Alzheimer’s. My mother-in-law, Diane, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after extensive neuropsychological testing. She is still very capable in many ways, but has significant short- and long-term memory…
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Mother refuses to go to memory care appointment for diagnosis
My mother has been showing obvious signs of some sort of cognitive decline over the last year though may have been dealing with it for longer. She is very good at hiding it because she is quite socially skilled. We had to move my father out of the house they shared and into independent living because she was getting very…
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Thank you
Although this is my first time posting, I have been following this board since the beginning of the year. My husband was officially diagnosed with EOA in January 2022. I was his full time caregiver at home while working from home FT - not easy, and not something that I would recommend to others. This board was such a…
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40hz light therapy
Good morning. I recently saw an article on light therapy and helping with mood and memory. Has anyone tried a 40hz lamp? My mother has advanced Alzheimer’s, but was thinking if it helped her mood that would even be beneficial. Also any supplements that have been helpful? Thanks in advance!
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Sleep issues
My DH is 66 and was diagnosed last year with AD. The dr. said staging wasn't important and different with everyone, so I don't know where he really is right now. We are seeing a new neurologist Aug 7. Lately, his moods are up and down and his sleep is really off. He may sleep 3 or 4 hours and then want to nap all…
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Anger Issues
My sister was diagnosed with dementia in April of 2024. She has recently become very angry with her daughter and myself. It seems that whatever we do it is not right. She doesn’t give us a chance to explain when she misunderstands what the conversation is about. She continues to talk over you and says we don’t hear or…
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He is now bedridden
My DH became totally bedridden a couple of days ago. He can't support his body anymore or sit up in the wheelchair. I asked the nurse what I could do to know if he tries to get out of the bed since he would wind up on the floor. She ordered a bed alarm. So the bed alarm is pretty cool. It looks like a long heating pad that…
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I'm clueless, get frustrated, worried and and and and....
Hi, this is the first time I've come here. I'm looking for some tactics to deal with a few situations. My wife of 31 years has been diagnosed with early onset Alz. She's 69, I'm 62. Aside from the sadness of accepting the life I thought we'd have when I retire in a few years, I'm struggling with some specific issues she…
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Feeling like I'm a target
My brother is home most of the day when he is on days off, I come home from work and my hubby (has mixed dementia with Alzheimer's) and the minute I come thru the door my hubby instantly is talking to me with major disrespect and Moves his upper body back and forth at me. My brother said my hubby doesn't do this all day…
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Lack of energy
My wife is 83 with Alzheimer's and recently she has no energy at all and wants to sleep all the time. Is there something I can do. Joe
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New to the community
I'm looking for support as my husband was just diagnosed with PCA it's early yet but we knew it was coming but I've never had experience with this type of situation so any advice will be greatly appreciated and anyone who is local to me is more then welcome to reach out to me if you need a friend in the community that you…
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Plan to Improve Care for Dementia Patients in Hospitals
Michael Ellenbogen, who is a strong advocate for people with dementia and who has dementia himself, has worked with dementia experts to develop a plan to improve the care of dementia patients in hospitals. You can read more about it in the following link.…
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Notary for Power of Attorney in Pennsylvania - Questions
Loved one has dementia. Some days are more lucid than others. They need someone to handle their affairs though. Loved one has not paid property taxes or filed tax returns in a couple of years. We just paid their property tax for them (5K) although they have the assets to do this themself. The social worker at the memory…
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Bed ridden, never happy, VD
New here. My mother has VD. Broke her femur in May, nursing home in June. She is in physical therapy but doesn't remember her sessions. It's like starting over every day. My visits are filled with her tears, wanting to die, etc. I have stopped going every other day because she doesn't know/remember if I was there. Wearing…
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mother, 86 years with dementia
My mother is now blaming my daughter for missing items in her home, trouble she is having with her computer and constantly threatening punishment if these issues are not resolved. She gets very agitated and cannot process. She lives alone in the midwest and her family is on the east coast. I am trying to figure out how to…
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Help
I need some advice regarding my parents and how I can best support them. My mom has Alzheimer’s, and as a result, my dad has had to pick up much of the slack around the house. He is 92 and I can see that he is wearing out. I have offered to help as much as I can by grocery shopping, preparing meals, running errands, and…
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Memory Care Challenges
Hi Everyone, My DM has been in MC for about five months after her AL said they couldn't manage her eloping and sundowning episodes any longer. Overall, the MC facility is nice, most of the staff really love my DM so I'd say it is a 6-7 on a scale of 10. The usual issues with lots of turnover which is frustrating. My mom…
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
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Dementia Resources
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