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Newly diagnosed
I’m 54 and was diagnosed formally 3 weeks ago. Having a tough time dealing with it, but I’ getting help, have lots of support and understand that all these emotions are pretty normal. I had my first Leqembi infusion last week and am hoping that helps. I am just not sure what to expect in the near term and could use some…
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Feeling overwhelmed and tired of dealing with this disease
I am so tired of the uncertainty. Whenever I think I can handle the behavior, I quickly fall back into a slump. I want a normal life, NOT this new normal. His hallucinations are off the chain. He gets angry constantly, accusing someone of stealing something or that someone was here. He sees people almost every day. I can't…
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Learning stage 8
I spent so much time on this site while caring for my DH, and you all helped me so much more than you may know. I feel like I'm still in the 'middle ground' between caring for him and living without him. One thing that I didn't really expect is that grieving changed when he passed. I had been grieving the incremental…
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Sleeping excessive amounts
my dh is 83 with late onset dementia and Alzheimer’s. He is sleeping soundly from midnight until I wake him up about 3 in the afternoon. No behaviors issues. Should I let him sleep that long??
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Here's what helped us <3
Hi everyone. We recently lost my Dad after many years with Alzheimers. I wanted to share what helped us, in case it can help someone else! 1. Check to see if in home hospice care is available to your loved one - it might be available sooner than you think. The criteria for in home hospice care are kind of complicated. In…
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eye exam for late stage
My DW used to wear contact lenses. After EO ALZ diagnosis, she switched to wearing eyeglasses. Her prescription has expired. It is a matter of time before she breaks her current glasses. We barely made it through her last eye exam which was 2 years ago. How are people managing vision care and eye exams in the later stages?
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Family Visit
Our beautiful son, daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren are visiting next week. Staying elsewhere but I'm a stressed wreck already. Our son and wife are the nicest, kindest couple but this situation with his dad (VD and aphasia) is hard for anyone to comprehend, understand and cope with. He knows that his dad is not…
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Continual Grief: I Miss My Mom
I visited my mom again today at her skilled nursing facility. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018 (she had probably been experiencing it since the early 2010s, in reality), and I made the gut-wrenching decision to place her into an SNF in 2021. She's currently experiencing late-stage Alzheimer's. She has…
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New to this
Hello! This is the first time I have reached out about taking care of my Mom. She is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and probably has been dealing with it for about 2 or 3 years. She moved in with me back in January. She decided she just couldnt do it alone anymore. It has been a huge change for all of us. I have 2 adult…
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Looking for any advice
Hi everyone! My Dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s for almost two years now. However we did notice things for a few years before his diagnosis. At first it was very slow and it seems like since March of this year he has rapidly gone down. He still lives at home and is currently with Palliative Care and Home Health. We…
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Books about Alzheimer's Disease
I want to start a thread for books regarding Alzheimer's Disease and caregiving. I invite anyone with a pertinent book about Alzheimer's Disease or the other dementias to post. If someone has the link for Understanding the Dementia Experience, please post it here, so new members can readily find it. The first book I want…
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book recommendation-Bella - The Little Furry Chiweenie Who Saved Our Lives:
I follow this man on X. Michael Whelan. He is a cancer survivor & is now caring for his wife Rebecca who has Parkinson's. To cope, he writes. He just published a book called "Bella ~ The Little Furry Chiweenie Who Saved Our Lives: An Inspirational Story About Love, Resilience, and Healing." It's for anyone going through an…
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What small joy did you experience yesterday?
I’m new to the group, and this is my second post. I’ve read many of the past discussions, and one of the messages stood out to me: Take each day as it comes and recognize small joys. Yesterday, I caught myself smiling. We have a goldfish pond, and I briefly caught a glimpse of a goldfish baby dart from under a rock to…
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Palliative and hospice care podcast
This is a very informative podcast about palliative and hospice care. Delete is not allowed. https://peterattiamd.com/bjmillerandbridgetsumser/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=250623-pod-bjmillerandbridgetsumser&utm_content=250623-pod-bjmillerandbridgetsumser-podfeed
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MCI-- treatment with Lecanemab or Donanemab
This is my first post. I am a caregiver for my DW who was recently diagnosed with MCI with an APOE 3/4. We will be having an important discussion soon with a neurologist who is going to present us with the two possible treatment options of either Lecanamab or Donanemab; but we are quite fearful of the possible negative…
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Stage 6 - How Much Medical Care is Appropriate?
My DH is in stage 6 in memory care. He has afib and CHF which is managed with meds. He has a cardiologist appointment the end of July for a check-up. It has become extremely challenging trying to take him for appointments because he is so confused. I am questioning why I should even take him. He is a DNR and I have already…
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The Cavalry didn't come......
Last week, my DH had a mini-stroke. He has been declining quite rapidly, and the stroke made his decline even more significant. I have been struggling with all of the emotions surrounding a loved one who is dying such a sad, prolonged death. I broke down completely, and cried out for help from my DH's brother, and his…
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Communication/mis-communication frustrations
My husband with FTD, early stages, sometimes brings up a topic and I'l respond in a normal way, mild and "neither here nor there." Yet he'll take it as an attack of some kind and respond in an angry tone as if I've created an argument, or as if we're in an unpleasant debate about something. When this happens I leave the…
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Ivermectin for dementia
Has anyone heard about ivermectin for treating dementia? My sister told me about reading that it was very helpful but my searches only show that ivermectin does not help dementia. Thanks
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The anger issue
My DW’s dementia is progressing to the point where she will need to move out of our home to a MC facility. She gets increasingly angry with everything, and I can’t imagine how she will handle the move. Will the anger subside as her dementia continues progresses? Can medication help?
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Denied Hospice
For quite a while now, my mother has been declining cognitively. It isn't a steep decline but steady enough that I often notice things she used to do for herself that she no longer does. Also, Mom had two "spells" in the last four months where she spaced out, went cold and clammy with a low BP and low heart rate. Both…
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Vascular Dementia diagnosis
hi, I’ve been around here awhile. My LO (hubby) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 5 years ago although he has had clear symptoms for 8 years. I didn’t realize this at the time, but two years ago he had a heart attack which is most likely due to his vascular issues. We had an MRI two weeks ago to get this conclusive diagnosis.…
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Paying for MC
we are in the earlier stages but I see so many of you talking about placing your LO in MC. How are you affording it? I am 55 and I can’t see spending all of our investments (which are not huge amounts) on MC because I will need that money to live on for the rest of my life. That sounds cold but I have potentially many…
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Seroquel and Lorazepam
My DH had his doctor appt this week. The doctor added Lorazepam (for anxious episodes) to be taken as needed. He told me not to give his Seroquel (he takes 50mg am and pm) and Lorazepam at the same time or he would be extremely drowsy. Is anyone else’s LO on both of these meds? How far after the Seroquel do you give the…
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Recent diagnosis and vision trouble
My dad was just recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at age 63. While his memory is a little spotty, the toughest thing he's been dealing with is an increasing loss of vision that they believe is being caused by some small bleeds in the occipital lobe of his brain. He is still almost completely self-sufficient,…
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Meet N Greet
Hello, We are Scotty and Rachel. Married for 41 years. Rachel has been diagnosed with Mild Dimentia. We are new to this community and look forward to interacting , supporting and sharing. Our journey started about 3 years ago. With trial and error we have been coping on our own. Now that we have a community, we know we are…
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Newly diagnosed with MCI
I have had the MoCA test and 2 Quest Diagnostics blood test: PTAU 217 @ 0.18 (normal < or = 0.15) and PTAU 181 @ 1.48 (normal < or = 1.07) After reading about these test it appears to me that I likely have early stages of AD. My personal Dr. has played this down and just says I have MCI and wants me to do red light therapy…
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Bathing Assistance Issue
My 91 year old mother-in-law has lived in an apartment under my house for 8 years. She has always been very easy going and still often is for the most part. She has been experiencing memory issues for a couple years, but her memory has declined significantly since January. She was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's in…
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Brief & informative
This is a short piece written for nurses which I thought was very helpful for caregivers. When you look at your face in the mirror, you recognize your skin, your eyes, your imperfections, and your smile, because it’s you. But could you imagine looking at your reflection one day and having no idea who you were? It’s one of…
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Increased Saliva with Donepezil
Good morning! My DH was diagnosed last year with White Matter Small Vascular Disease and earlier this year was also confirmed with Alzheimer’s by blood test and Nuclear Pet Scan. He started the Donepezil in February. A lot of fatigue, a little nausea but manageable. However, it also seems like he has increased saliva…