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Volunteer to visit dad in memory care
We recently moved my 89 year-old father from Assisted Living into Memory Care. My mother recently passed and they had been living together. My dad has no short term memory but is social and can carry on a decent conversation, especially around sports, science or politics. We'd like to have someone, preferably a man, to…
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Possessed Look
Hi all, Lately, as my DW drifts deeper into her dementia, I've seen a kind of wild look in her eyes and she definitely does not look like she's seeing me at all in those moments. It's a bit disconcerting when it happens and I can only imagine what's bringing her to that space. The poor thing. Anyone else have this with…
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Caring for an 8 year old
My wife is 84 and is in ALZ Stage 5 with a few Stage 6 symptoms. This past year has been a steep decline. It's amazing what she can no longer do. It's not just memory (which is a serious issue), but she can no longer understand simple instructions and can no longer do most anything without close supervision. She doesn't…
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Sleeping ALL Day-88-year old Mom
I’m new to this group. This summer I’ve seen my Mom deteriorate. She wandered outside, which was a first, and the last few weeks there have been occasions where she has not recognized me. She also frequently asks to go “home,” even though she lives at home. Now I’m seeing her sleep A LOT and she appears more frail. She’s…
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How do I place my wife in a memory care facility?
Terri is at stage five now and declining. I'm ready for us to go into a facility where I can leave when I need to and know that she's going to taken care of. But I need the facility to stop her from leaving when I'm not there and I'm not sure about the law around that. Do I need to acquire guardianship? Or something else?…
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New Diagnosis
Hi Everyone, Yesterday we received a moderate ALZ diagnosis for my father. The diagnosis was a long time coming. He had received an ALZ diagnosis before the pandemic, but then he had some significant movement problems that led to a change to a movement disorder. However, then the movement disorder did not progress as…
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Moving Mom to Memory Care - Questions
Moving day is set for Wednesday. Mom's memory care room is pretty similar to her bedroom in her AL apartment, and the furniture could be arranged in a similar configuration. The "story" we are using to get her into MC is that she is going to stay in "PT rehab" for a few weeks. She adores her AL apartment with "all her…
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Overwhelmed caring for wife with FTD
My 75 year old wife was recently diagnosed with FTD. I am 77 myself and in compromised physical health due to my Vietnam war injuries. We sold our home and moved into a retirement facility which made life less complicated. But the issues I face caring for my wife are almost more than I can manage. I do not dare leave her…
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Recommendations for GPS device?
Hello, I am new here. My father is in the late stages of dementia but still living at home with my mother until we can find an adequate assisted living facility for him. He has started to leave the house and wander so I am growing very concerned for his safety. We have alarms on the doors and cameras on the house but my…
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Confusion and Meds
My mom is in early stages of dementia. She wakes up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and then wants to take her morning pills. Bathroom is a trigger to wake up and start her day no matter the time. Any suggestions?
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DPOA & Health Care Proxy
I have durable power of attorney for my mother, (who did this all 15 years ago). I also am her health care proxy. How does this all work? If the time comes that she should be in a memory care unit, but she does not want to. Does a doctor have to "activate" either of those in order to have her go into a memory care unit? I…
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Passed away
Just letting you all know that my mother, with Alzheimer's, passed away 5/7/25 And dad with vascular dementia, just passed away 8/4/25 Now dealing with family members fighting over the will. Lots of financial and legal responsibilities for the executors and beneficiaries.
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Refuses to see DR
My DH refuses to go to next DR appt and I can't force him DR wants to do lumbar puncture but he is too agitated to go thru with procedure as they want him there for four hours. This procedure may not shed any light on his condition, his cognition has been steadily worse and this is supposed to diagnose NPH. I asked DR to…
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Stage 7a- need to know if possible to keep them home
My 78 DH has Aliz and dx 2017 MC, he is progressing has anyone kept their LO home until the end. He is still going to day care 3 days a week ,will be 2 years in Oct. When is Hospice available ? I have been doing everything myself, he has had no showers since Jan but he lets me wash him . Bladder incontinent some BM ,…
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Time to move Mom
I am new here. My sister and I have been dealing with my mom's Alzheimer's for about 2 years now. We have tried to get both parents to move to assisted living with zero success. They are both incredibly stubborn. To make an all too familiar long story short, it is time for mom to go into Memory Care. Any advice to making…
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How to motivate your AD spouse to do things that will help her.
My AD spouse isn’t self-motivated. I have made dot papers for her to complete with her name, address, phone number… I am continually helping her navigate her phone and texting… I am helping everyday to work the tv remote… she was a music director so I have enlarged music for her to sing with(words only)… I write our day’s…
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New to the group
Hi everyone. I’m new to this group and have been reading so many heartbreaking stories. My husband is 71 and was diagnosed 2 years ago with FTD. We moved him to a memory care facility a month ago. He’s very restless at night and rearranges furniture in the commons area, removes artwork from walls, takes things from other…
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Eating stuff
My DW is in stage 5/6 of Alzheimer's. Lately she has been eating all kinds of things. She ate all of her toothpaste from the tube, orange and lemon peels and whole tomatoes like an apple. Has anyone else seen this?
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Cared For Grandparents and Now Mother
Hello! I helped my mom care for her parents as they suffered with dementia and Alzheimer's for several years before they passed. It was physically, mentally and emotionally difficult on both of us and traumatizing for my mom especially. Now, 4ish years since her dad passed, my 60 y/o mom is showing her own signs. She's…
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Where has my husband gone? Loss…
I find myself asking that question often. He’s here physically, but he is not the man that he was when I married him. I feel so sad today. Yet it doesn’t bother him as much since he doesn’t even realize how much he’s changed. he’s inside the grocery store while I’m waiting in the car because I just don’t have the patience…
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Stepping in on finances
Hello, My DH was diagnosed about 1 1/2 year ago. With meds (Donepezil), he seemed to be on an even keel for about six months, we upped the dosage some, but he is now declining again. We mostly keep our finances separate. I have begun to worry that he will spend on extraneous things (he recently placed an order for a new…
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Overwhelmed
My husband recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's (63) and caring for aging parents. I am feeling very overwhelmed and sad and just all the feelings. I am really glad I found this group. I feel like I need somewhere to go to talk about what's happening and this seems like a safe place. I've already read some of…
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Service dog
UPDATE 8/1/25: it’s been about 15 months since my post about looking into getting a service dog for my wife. Today, we received an invitation offering us a trained service dog from EENP! My wife is at a stage in her diagnosis where she can still drive and has just mild cognitive impairment. So now is the best time for her…
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Where do I go from here?
My mother was diagnosed 1.5 years ago with ALZ. She lives at home with her boyfriend of 15+ years and has lived there for about 8 years. She has gone off for a walk twice now within the last 4 months. The first time she walked 4 miles to her sisters house. The second time she was angry, left the house, seems to have been…
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I've been away for a while and need to talk
Since I was last on this site, we moved to a smaller townhouse 1 1/2 away from that awful town. He did ok with the move. I'll just skip to now. he had 2 seizures a month ago in which the hospital labeled as "fainting" yet put him on antiseizure meds. he is going to get an ultrasound on his carotid artery, then and EEG. he…
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Overwhelmed caregiver.
My mom just got diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia 6month ago. Sometimes she will be her normal self then she someone I don’t recognize. Someday I can get her to take her medication with no problem then another day she resist. I’m having hard time keeping the house clean because she leaves things everywhere and brings…
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Becoming a personal care surrogate
Hi! I am brand new to this group and so appreciate the networking with others who are navigating the care of a parent with Alzheimer’s. I’ve been trying to be proactive about this. My brother and I hired an elder law attorney. We established power of attorney for my brother and Healthcare proxy for both. He and I work…
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Great News on Treatment Advance
This made my day! This will not cure my DH, but it gives me great hope for my children and grandchildren. Medical research matters! Thank you to the devoted scientists at Harvard who have been working on this for ten years. Hopefully, tes5ing will commence very shortly.…
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Walking Through Dementia With My Brother
These past few months have been some of the hardest of my life. My brother’s dementia symptoms keeps increasing, and it’s heartbreaking watching someone I love so deeply change in ways I never imagined. The last time I saw him, I watch pieces of him slowly slip away his memory, his spark, the conversations we used to…
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Deaf Only Child, Struggles with guidance..
hello amazing caregivers, This may be a long post, which I am typing as I think and go. Please bear with me as I do so. mum was DX with vascular dementia on Presidents’ Day this year. Hubs and I suspected it longer than that, as she is stubborn to seek medical help. This is a tough situation and subject to share. Mum…