Welcome to ALZConnected! You are not alone.

As I read the challenges every day on this site, it is so depressing yet informative. I thought maybe an uplifting subject would bring some joy through our memories of our LO’s. Tell us all how you and you LO met. Here’s my story. I was 54 and just got out of a terrible 30 year marriage. I told myself that I didn’t want…

My Mom, who has Alzheimer's, asks about her deceased mother a lot. Her mother died over 20 years ago. Some days Mom believes that her mother is alive, and we go along with that belief. More often, Mom knows that her mother is deceased but thinks that it happened more recently, and that no one told her or took her to the…

I'm just starting this journey. DH is 83 and is in total denial. He thinks his "slippage" is due to age and nothing more. He refuses to be seen by a doctor for anything other than managing his high blood pressure. He is functional, but slowing down. The big thing is his fantasies or hallucinations. He "remembers" many…

Some days I just wanna read posts here and benefit from the sense of community and of understanding. As dad declines and my heart breaks, sometimes I just don't want to be around people who can't understand the things we do and see with our LOs. Maybe I could write a song called tears in the parking lot for those of us who…

My wife has is now having delusions. Most are just odd. But now she has decided that I (a 78 year old) have married a wealthy 45 year old woman in Montana! Yes there is some humor to that, but she is …

I live in another state but, I know my brother needs help. He is too overwhelmed to research on his own. Are there facilities around Hopedale/Milford, Massachusetts that offer day care during the week? He is paying out of pocket right now for a few hours of caregiving per week but is still trying to work. Any information…

My loved one was a college adjunct professor with almost 40 years of teaching and research under her belt. And when COVID hit, she and many other adjunct professors were let go! That was when the super active brain suddenly stopped, like hitting a break wall. The depression followed, no desire to do any more studies or…

I go home Wednesday's around 4:30 (get there about 5:30) after work and then on Thursday I work from their house. I do "like" the slight distraction but today I decided I needed to take the day off from work because the weather is going to be awful and I know my mom won't be happy about that. Did I make the right decision…

My DW was diagnosed about 2 years ago with Alzheimer’s, the Dr told me she is at “moderate dementia”. A few weeks ago her sister came and had a nice visit, but my DW told her friend that her sister and her had a screaming argument. I mentioned this to her Dr and he told me to change the subject when she has a false memory.…

Nan is 93 and has had Dementia for about 14 years now. Has slowly gotten worse rather than sharp declines. We are now starting to get sundowning creeping in. Its a run of 7 days of it so far, I'm literally so exhausted i have no idea how i am functioning. She gets up about 1am thinking its 8am, and insists she needs to be…

Hi! I’ve written multiple times in the past about my mom‘s current MC. After 25 pounds of weight loss and the feeling that the MC isn’t taking the concerns seriously or has adequate medical staffing, we’ve decided to move my mother to another MC. Much more expensive but has 24x7 nursing on-site and the layout is much more…

Father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is prone to shopping sprees, scams, and donating money, but doesn’t pay his taxes, bills, and maxes out credit cards. He’s in debt $500k, but denies any problem with his actions or Alzheimer’s diagnosis from his neurologist. Would like first hand experience with establishing a…

I have a friend who has Parkinson's Disease. Her voice is very soft and I have to ask her to repeat two or three times before I can understand what she is saying. She wears hearing aids and probably doesn't hear her own voice well. I would like to suggest that she receive speech therapy to improve her voice and speech. Can…

The other day our dog had a “conversation” with a skunk. Naturally, he reeked. And my DH, Stage 4, could not smell it. All of a sudden I realized he had lost his sense of smell. Has anyone else had this experience? I have not seen it mentioned anywhere, except as a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. DH does have some…

You know the heartbreak and loss is inevitable. You know that your LO doesn’t want to get to experience the late stages of dementia. You know that he always expressed that if he ever “got like that”, kill him. You know that he wouldn’t adhere to the lifestyle changes to keep the progression at bay. You knew that he was…

We're rolling on 7 months now since Dx & probably two more months out from getting actual treatment. How long is too long for a 60 yo YOA patient to go without treatment? Are the infusions going to be too late to be effective? I feel like I can't press providers and health plans harder than I have been. I didn't sleep last…

I would love to hear from others who have been a caregiver for your loved one with what I need to do, be aware of, or what was the biggest help for you as you began your journey.

I think she knows she has Alzheimer’s… do I remind her when she is confused or struggling? Or never bring it up again?

As we are starting down this road I have found tons of great advice and support here. My LO still drives locally, alone every Monday to counseling and back. 12 miles each way. Today she was gone and I realized she was late by 2.5 hours. The answer was an expected "I told you I was going shopping", she did not. Am I…

Hello everybody! My dear spouse recommended I write about my recent feelings in here to vent, maybe get some more insight. I am 26 and am the main caretaker for my mom for about 5 years now since her Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2022. Her main "team" is myself, my spouse, and my best friend who moved in with us. I realized I…

Last summer I was stuck at home caring for my DH who has mixed dementia. It was just about impossible to do anything except take care of him. Some days he stayed awake all day with no naps. Last August I found some knitting needles. I was taught how to knit as a child and stopped knitting more than 50 years ago. I…

I know I'm not the Lone Ranger when it comes to facing the challenges of caring for a LO with this disease. The level of pain to see my DW struggle with tasks that 2 years ago were done without a second thought are hard to verbalize or put down on paper. As I watch her struggle, any attempt to help is quickly and curtly…

Why is it when I get a quiet weekend I am more paranoid of what might come in the following days is going to be a big one. This past weekend I had 2 calls, both for an alert that dad fell AGAIN, trying to get to the bathroom or just out of bed. Both times they didn't seem worried, but I was. I mean one of the times he hit…

I've been used to the urine accidents but this bowel movement accident is at a different level. I won't go into the details. Let's just say it took me an hour or two to clean it up. My DW was so apologetic about it. She kept saying over and over, "That wasn't me." I just reassured her that everything is okay. It took me to…

My spouse returned home from a 5 day respite stay at a local hospice house severely deconditioned. Was using a walker with stand by assist and now he can barely stand. I left them a note with our daily schedule at home, but I wish I had made it clear how many feet he ambulated daily. I needed the break, but now I wonder if…

When it was time for me to start helping my DW with taking her medications, after reading all the stories of others having difficulty with their LO taking medications, I was so happy that she took her meds without any argument. She always took a big drink and I assumed that down her throat went the meds. I was cleaning out…

Hello everyone, I’m new to this forum and trying to navigate this horrible disease that my mother has. She refuses to get a shower or even allow anyone to wipe her down. I’ve tried everything from playing calming music, getting in the shower with her, and just constantly reassuring her. She becomes extremely agitated and…

My wife has been suffering short term memory loss for a few years and though I tried she would not see a doctor. Earlier this month she had a massive delusion. Forgot who I was after 49 years of marriage or that we have lived in our home for over 20 years. We went to the ER and I am still waiting to get a neurologist…

My 85-year-old mother was diagnosed with dementia 7 years ago. My older father insisted on caring for her and hiding how bad things were from my sister and me. We started 4 years ago to try to get him to consider in-home care or assisted living. He finally agreed and they moved into a lovely community in October. However,…

Hi. I live in AZ, my sister and her family in WI. For some time she has had memory issues. She was only diagnosed 2 mths ago and is 66. Last weekend my nephew told me she is in decline, not eating, and is now in her own world. .I am going back to WI shortly. Personally I am crushed. As a nurse I know the support they need.…