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First Post. I’m living with 2 challenging men.
So very grateful that you all share your stories. I’m learning all I can. I’m truly frightened for our future. My DH, age 73 hasn’t been diagnosed with dementia yet. I suspect he’s in stage 3. Maybe 4? Of vascular dementia and ALZ. His neurology report states ‘probable mild cognitive impairment’. Dr prescribed aricept and…
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Hypersexuality
My DH has been driving me crazy for a few years with sexual comments all day. The other day at doctor's office he told the nurse she had sexy shoes. This is the first time such comments were made to others. Never before this disease would he say something like that. Several months I spoke with his geriatric doctor about…
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Memantine
Hi, I am new to this group. My DH was recently diagnosed with "Alzheimer's type dementia". On the 7-step scale, I would rate him between 3 and 4. We are waiting to meet with a neurologist. In the mean time, our PCP has prescribed a drug called Memantine. Are any of you willing to share your experience with this drug?
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Advice on next steps please
Hello All, I am looking for some advice from the experts here. My DH (62) does not have a diagnosis yet, but I suspect bvFTD (that is the behavioral variant of FTD. He has some memory issues, but his behavior changed dramatically in a very short period of time and I see him struggling with his executive functioning and…
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MCF after stay in psych hospital
It has been a long while since I last posted an update here (I did last week yet found my answer) and am truly thankful for this site. My MIL finally got moved to a MCF this afternoon after a week plus stay in a psych hospital after she had a catastrophic event at my BIL and SIL’s house. My DH and I live in another State…
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Not recognizing home
I am writing on behalf of my DB. His DW has had a very fast decline in the last 10 months and now not able to to do tasks around the house such as cooking or cleaning but still able to basically do her ADL’s. She all of a sudden is accusing him of moving them to a new place without her being consulted. This is a house they…
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The lack of help is wearing me out
I have a caregiver that comes for 4 hours a week and am supposed to have another for another 4 hours. It is not enough. I need a break. His family shows up once or twice a year for a few days. Still no break. Now I am hosting guests. My parents come and get him out of the house and make decisions for me like dinner etc.…
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When you just have to say NO
My mom is stage 5/6 she has hallucinations (even medicated) her big one is a dog. She is constantly looking for this Shepard (she has never had a Shepard) we do have a beagle and she enjoys him but is obsessed with this shepherd. I’ve played along for a long time, distracting her changing the subject but she has become…
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Slowing progression of disease
I keep hearing that there are meds that can slow the progression of this disease but I wonder if that's only for those who are diagnosed early? At this point, I wouldn't want to have my DH stuck in this stage any longer than necessary. The anxiety, confusion, anger... if doctor recommends one of these new meds is it ok for…
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Time for Depends?
I am caring for my 94 year old mom who has dementia bordering on stage 4/5. Lately she has had accidents at home and out and of course does not remember them. I have tried to get her to wear Depends when we go out but she refuses. My dad, 95 years old, wears them when we go out as his cancer medicine can sometimes cause…
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Clarity VS deep sleep or unresponsiveness
My 91 year old mother has vascular dementia and shows a pattern of two days of clarity and sleeps for 3 days nonstop and back at clarity again. This has been a pattern since Jan 2025. She was diagnosed in 2020 and lives in a Care Center Facility. Is any of your love ones with vascular dementia going through this cycle?
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I Am Bringing Him Home
Update: I’m sitting here in his MC room waiting for the ambulance to come bring my DH home. He’s on day 26 of not eating, day 10 of refusing all of his meds (he has significant heart issues), and day 3 of less than 8 oz of fluids/day. He’s terrified about being left alone, even for just a few minutes, so I’ve been here…
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Walking difficulties
My mom has been telling us that when she walks she feels like she is running. I experienced it firsthand this weekend. We went out for a walk and started out slow, she then started going faster where it was almost hard to keep up. When walking she is leaning forward. If I was not holding on to her, she would have fallen.…
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Seeking Advice on Initial Steps
My mother is 80 years old and lives with my father who is also 80 years old. Since the beginning of the year, she is starting to show the initial signs of memory loss. She often repeats herself and is unable to retain very much information in her short term memory. I am reaching out for advice on any initial steps I should…
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Diagnosis
Maybe someone has had this diagnosis information and can weigh in. I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in early 2022. My MRI showed moderate shrinkage on the left side of my brain. I am wondering why shrinkage would only be on one side.
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Tricky next steps
I'm really not sure how best to proceed here …. My former next door neighbor, V, in San Francisco, has slowly been progressing. I'm not sure whether he has vascular dementia, straight up Alzheimer's, or some other dementia. The last time I saw him (a month ago), his emotions were beginning to flatten out, and he couldn't…
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Incontinence
My mom currently lives in an assisted living community with my dad and struggles with incontinence. She is asked on a regular basis if she has to use the bathroom, always saying no, then will have an accident 5 minutes later. I truly believe she doesn't know she has to go, but I don't know how help her and my dad. We got a…
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Stuck & Need Advice
First Post - seeking advice after a LONG road to present day. Mom first presented concerns 10 years ago but masked symptoms until my sister & I stepped in 4.5 years ago. After going back and forth with her neurologist, we decided to find a new one in a different hospital system local to us. To our relief, in the very first…
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The most heartbreaking moment yesterday
My DW is stage 7, she hasn't been able to do anything for herself in years. She has to be hand fed, rolled over ever two hours, she's skin and bones and everything else that comes with it. She is in MC and I visit her everday to make sure she's comfortble, warm, hydrated. . . Because of the type of dementia she has, LBD,…
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Husband newly diagnosed (55yo) - treatment?
First post! We're waiting for an appt with a neurologist to pursue next steps (blood, MRI showed no issues, mental tests showed decline). I wanted to ask here how long it took for your loved one to start any sort of treatment. So far we've gotten the "see you in 6 months" talk, but no talk of starting any treatment, other…
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Just need my friends who understand
My DH spent two years in MC, and I was able to bring him home 3 months ago with relatively good success. He's on hospice now, which has also helped. I mentioned in an earlier post that he's suddenly taken a nosedive as far as behaviors and cognition. He shuffles around the house mumbling disconnected words. He's resistant…
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Need new strategy to get Dad into Nursing home
For the past couple of months we have been pressuring (and sometimes its gotten heated and yelling) and it clearly isnt working because he gets defensive and starts crying. And I can't bear watching a grown man cry - it breaks my heart in two and I would do anything for him. But his disabilities are also causing me mental…
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Time
About a year or so ago my neighbor referred to me as my husbands caregiver and I was very insulted. Now as I sit here looking at the man I have loved for 35 years, I wonder when exactly I crossed that line and why I am feeling that loss so strongly tonight.
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Disarming Mom
My mom is I’d say stage 5/6 she has declined so much in the year she has lived with me. She is verbally aggressive, secretive and lurks trying to listen to conversations. Today I found her in the kitchen garbage with the tv remote in one hand and a pocket knife in the other stabbing in the garbage. I asked her what are you…
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Toddler comparison
This is a rant. I’ve been caring for my DH who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly 3 years ago which was at least 2 years after I had been begging for a diagnosis. When someone compares caring for a spouse with Alzheimer’s is like caring for a toddler I want to scream. It is such a dismissive comment for the person…
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Med taking is a constant fight.
Hi y'all it has been a while since I have posted. As I write this post I am in tears. I am 40 yo taking care of my LO who has EOA and is 46 the Dr said he is stage 7b. I am on the struggle bus like no other today. A few weeks ago he had a siezure that I didn't know could happen at this stage for no reason and no history of…
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DH dashing through stage 6 benchmarks
DH, early stage six AD, has been home from memory care for about 2-1/2 months after a year-long stay. It's generally been going well until the last two or three weeks. He's started sundowning again after a long break, very agitated, 'hyper-oral' per Tam Cummings, hallucinating other people in the house/yard, starting fecal…
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Expected but still hurts
AD has its moments. The first time it tore a hole in my heart was when I realized my husband had no memory of how we met or our wedding. Today, another big hurt came. We sat down to dinner and my husband looked me in a confused fusion. “Where is my wife? ” he asked. So hard sometimes.
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Bad Doctor Experiences?
I’m sure, given our ages (my LO is 37, turning 38 in July), I probably have more than my fair share of these kinds of stories—and they are awful. I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. That said… misery sure does love company. We finally got in to see a neurologist—an appointment that was originally scheduled for January but I…
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Will There Ever Be A Succesful Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease
Some important findings about Alzheimer's disease came out from MIT and Harvard scientists recently that can be encapsulated in the following quotes: “One possibility is that maybe there’s more than one cause of Alzheimer’s, and that even in a single person, there could be multiple contributing factors,” Fraenkel said.…