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New to forum and newly diagnosed spouse at 56
Hi all. I'm not good at sharing, but finding this new life journey difficult. Not sure I should have pushed for this test as I wasn't really ready for the truth and outcome. My kids and I noticed the changes in my spouse over 7 years ago. I tried back then for doctors to figure out what was happening. Hit road block after…
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And the Packing Up Continues...
Again, my DH got up 3 times on Wednesday night, pulling out all of his clothes and putting them on the bed. I got him back to bed each time and put back the clothes. Then he proceeded to do this two more times during the day. I have decided that this is like shoveling feathers in the wind. I left the clothing where it was.…
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DH is currently independent in self care
My DH was officially diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s. I find it’s easier to talk less and less since most things I say are doubted, challenged, questioned and I have to explain and repeat.His talking about what will probably go wrong, like when our daughter plans to meet us, saps my energy and spirit. Also wearing…
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Caregiving
Please share your experience if this is something you’ve done or considered.
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Parent who is money paranoid
My father is almost 80 and was diagnosed with Alzheimers last year. My mother is 82, has heart issues and most likely has some form of dementia. They are on a VERY fixed income and cannot afford to go to an AL facility, so we are trying to keep them in their senior apartment as long as possible. My father walks to the…
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Resident Financial Application
is this a normal request to fill out? mom is in AL and the MC unit is full. Looking to move her to the sister location. Been negotiating pricing and today was asked to fill out a form about her finances. Then they ‘can see what they can do.’ Why would I disclose her assets?!
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87 yo Parents living alone - Navy Veteran
Hi Everyone, I am new here. My parents are 87yo and currently live alone in an apartment community for 55 and older. My mother has a hard time walking due to double knee surgery years ago and is starting to show signs of dementia (she will never admit it but she is). She is so frail (97lbs) and is the sole caregiver for my…
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Introducing a medication to a resistant parent?
Just a bit of background. My mom was recently diagnosed with dementia. She is a difficult medical patient and refuses (so far) the MRI and the neuropsych eval that would allow a full diagnosis of Alzheimers but I think we all suspect highly that that is her eventual diagnosis. She has a challenging and stubborn personality…
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AL to MC - need help!
I’ll try to make this brief. I need help deciding on a MC. Mom is 72 with AZ Lives in a corporate AL for the past 3 months Now needs MC MC unit at AL is full Have to make a choice between having her at the more expensive MC unit in mine and my sister’s town OR having her 25 minutes away for 30k less a year. My sister and I…
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Two parents with dementia
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New clothes
Any tips on how to get mom to change her clothes??? She takes them off and hangs them up immediately. And the next day forgetts she already wore them and puts them on again. Any tips??
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New Caregiver - Venting
Hi. I've just recently become caregiver for my mom (62yo). She does not formally have a diagnosis but the doctors she has seen suspect some form of dementia, likely frontotemporal, though they cannot tell which for sure. She has some issues with memory but her most prominent symptoms are word salad (forgetting the…
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Geri-psych saga continues with hopeful news
For those if you following our story, after two weeks in a medical bed, my DH with aggression problems was transferred to the hospital’s Geri-psych unit on Monday. I was very pleased because this unit has a good reputation for not discharging patients until they are really ready. I am finding out that my husband’s issue…
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Levindale Geriatric Hospital Psychiatric unit in Baltimore. Good/ bad experiences?
Parent has entered to stabilize him on medication. Has anyone had any experiences with this hospital? He has dementia, and is in his early to mid 70s. The general hospital sent him here.
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What To Except During Medicaid Health Needs Assessment
Hi. I signed my mom up for Medicaid with our local Office of Aging and finally got the financial assessment done yesterday. The in-home health needs assessment is in a few weeks. Can anyone enlighten me on what to expect? Are they pretty perceptive at knowing when someone with MD is "masking" and making it seem a lot…
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How To Get Mom To Take Baths
Hi Everyone, I’m having the hardest time getting my mother to take baths. She’s alway been a very clean person and used to love taking a relaxing bath. However since her Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia has progressed it’s getting harder to get her to cooperate. And of course, she reminds me that I’m the child and she’s…
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Early behaviors, pre diagnosis behaviors
I keep thinking about DH’s weird behaviors that took place 5-7 years before diagnosis that caused so many fights and so much frustration, anger, and unhappiness for me which seem, in retrospect, to have been dementia symptoms. Here’s a partial list: Obsessions: no matter how many times we’d talk about a project around the…
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New Group for Middle Aged Caregivers
Please join! Support Group for Middle Aged Spouse Caregivers Go to the GROUPS tab on the home page or copy & paste this link (sorry that I can’t get the hyperlink to stick!) https://alzconnected.org/group/43-middle-aged-caregivers-support-group
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New Group for Middle Aged Caregivers
Please join! Go to the GROUPS tab on the home page or copy & paste this link (sorry that I can’t get the hyperlink to stick!) https://alzconnected.org/group/43-middle-aged-caregivers-support-group
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Frustrated with finding Geriatric care
Three days ago, I called the memory clinic to inquire about practitioner that was scheduled with DH today. The receptionist said there was only 1 geriatric doctor and she only works one day a week. She said the practitioner was very good and could prescribed medications. She would give my DH a short test…. So I decided to…
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New Here - Looking for help for brother
Hello, I've been lurking and reading discussions for a few months now. Our family became concerned last fall. The ball got rolling after I scheduled the PCP appointment my brother had been procrastinating. That was in Feb. A few weeks later we got in to see the neurologist. He scored 22 out of 30 on the assessment that was…
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Just venting
I am just dumbfounded by what the CG is telling me about my MIL. We left her for two week as we have been trying to move out of State to be closer to our Grands and family since earlier this year. She was mad at us for disabling her stove. DH got hold of her next door neighbor and got the stove back on. The same day,…
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memory care
What is exactly memory care? How do you know when it is time? When they don't recognize you anymore? hard to handle?
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Picking up the pieces
where do you start when you don’t know how or where to start? My husband has been my life for 30 years. I just don’t know what to do with myself. I had to place in a MC facility & I just can’t believe it’s been 3 months and I still haven’t left my house except to go visit him everyday.
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Hygiene issues because he hates being wet
For a while, I could get my DH to shower every few days and he had no trouble doing so on his own. I just needed to remind him to use soap and shampoo. A few months ago, he just absolutely refused to go into the shower. He said he didn't need that anymore, it was too small, stuff like that. So I bought some microfiber…
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Anniversary #47
It's our wedding anniversary today. I'm just really sad because nothing about our marriage turned out the way I thought it would. As background, we found out after we placed my DH in MC that he had (seemingly) been unfaithful, was deeply into porn, and even had pictures that may have been illegal (or borderline). Even…
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Feeling like a terrible person!
Yikes do I feel like an idiot! DH 4 years into VD and his short term memory going downhill quickly! I should know I should be aware but duh! I started a new BP med and apparently by mid after my pressure falls. Today it was 70/50 I was feeling drained and told DH I wasn’t feeling well and going to lay down . He came up to…
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Just checking ...
Has anyone heard that quizzing a PWD helps their brain stay active? The friends who are visiting my mom this week have been plying her with multiple choice questions, trying to get her to remember things. They provide cues, and she answers correctly much of the time. I have overheard them saying things like "this bird is a…
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When to start considering meds
I know this is a question for the professionals but wanted to get some insight from caregivers on this. At what point should meds be considered? What kind of behaviors are most helped by them? I’m having a more difficult time with DH lately as he progresses but I think it’s more my behavior or reaction that causes the…