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Today is the day
We meet with a neurologist to try and determine if my DH has dementia and what stage he’s in. DH has been in cognitive decline for at least five years. I know no answers will be forthcoming today. I’m sure testing will be forthcoming. I am beyond frustrated with my DH and this disease. Last night I returned home to my DH…
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Paranoid mother
My mother has mid stage dementia and loses things constantly. She is now saying my adult children are stealing from her. She has accused enough of the family of stealing that now I’m the only one left to take care of her and my dad. I don’t know what to do. She cries cuz nobody will come visit but this is why
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Mental illness and memory care
Hi all! I'm facing a decision about increasing my mother's level of care, and I'm getting very different messages from professionals. I'd appreciate any advice or input you have about what questions to ask or factors to consider. My mother has longstanding mental illness with various diagnoses that features an explosive…
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the drugs to buy to treat urinary incontinence of my mum
mumis 89 with alzeihmer disease, memory loss and urinary incontinence that recently started. looking for safe drugs to help her without affecting her bladder.
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DW beginning Lecanemab in about 2 weeks
My DW has mild symptoms and will begin infusions soon. We are both anxious and would appreciate any information from others who may be able to tell us about their experiences with this treatment or where we may be able to find personal stories. Many thanks!
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first time posting
Hello, my DH was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about a year ago. He still cares for himself (dressing, bathing) but is dependent on me for everything else (tv remote, financial, meals, everything, constantly asking questions). He has not driven in over a year but still insists he wants to renew his license. He does not seem…
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New to ALZ Site - Caring for LO With Dementia
New here to the community, caring for a parent with severe dementia and their spouse. LO had a serious fall a few weeks ago, resulting in a brain bleed. Another fall or progression led to acute/chronic bilateral brain bleeds. LO had urgent brain surgery to alleviate this. Spouse is finally waking up to the fact that LO w/D…
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Confronting Denial
My Dad has FTD with limited mobility. My Mom is his primary caregiver, but she is still in denial and hasn't fully accepted the diagnosis and the situation. She is holding onto how she wants or envisioned things would be in their retirement years rather than adapting and trying to make the best of a very difficult reality.…
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DH just diagnosed
We see the neurologists this week. Pet scan came back positive for Alzheimer’s. DH is in denial. I think it is early. He forgets names and recent conversations. Just wondering when he should stop driving and I hear about stages. How many stages are there. He is 71 and has heart disease. He works out four times oler week…
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caring for an estranged grandmother with rapidly progressing alzheimers, no POA and....
Caring for an estranged grandmother with rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s, no POA, and an immediate need for 24/7 supervision I’m reaching out because my family has been thrown into a rapidly escalating situation, and we need advice from people familiar with the gap between realizing someone needs 24/7 care and actually…
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When Persistent Fatigue Is More Than Just Tiredness: Understanding Physical Debility
Feeling drained after a busy week, several nights of poor sleep, or an intense period of work is common. In many cases, adequate rest allows energy and concentration to return fairly quickly. The situation deserves more attention when low energy keeps returning, familiar activities become harder to complete, and rest no…
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Practical Advice and Thoughts
I wanted to share my thoughts and give some practical advice of my journey in the last year and half caregiving for my mom. By no means, am I an expert, but what I found has helped ease my days, months and this year. I am a medical practitioner and a daughter of someone who has this. I've seen both sides of the system and…
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Where do you live
I love this site. Great people suffering alongside with me giving the best experiences and helpful information. I would love to hear where all of you live. My DW and I live in Northern California.
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A rare positive report :)
We successfully took my mom on a mini-vacation to the beach this weekend! I certainly had my concerns about taking her out of her AL for that long and bringing her into a completely unfamiliar environment, but overall she did GREAT, and I'm so glad we were able to do this. She definitely had times of great confusion and…
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objects in purse
My DM becomes very possessive of her purse- my father and i found two knives she carries that are wrapped up in paper towels. To me i suspect she is feeling scared that she needs protection as she tells me " you never know". How do i deal with this?
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Parents Caring for Adult Child /w EOA
This is probably a longshot: Are any parents out there caring for an adult child with early-onset Alzheimers? I am I am 71 years old and full-time caregiver for my 37-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at 28 years old. My daughter also has Down syndrome and seizure disorder. She wears a…
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Well, what did I expect?
My dad was diagnosed with Alz when he was 73...It came as a shock. Little did I know at the time that 5 or 6 (of 11) siblings of his had/would also go through this. Should have guessed it would be passed down. At the time, I went to classes offered by UC Berkeley and found out everything I could about it (this was about…
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A tough week that got better
Monday and Tuesday were very challenging with dad and him wanting to go to Houston. Then he switched to saying Houston is his home but he is glad he is hear because of the heat in Houston. His birthday (86) was Saturday, which was a good memory day for him. This week on Thursday go to an in-person support group, has anyone…
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Saying she doesn't have it now
Hello! I am a full te caregiver to my husband grandparents, who i absolutely adore! She has Alz and he lost both legs the end of last year, beginning of this year. I started helping towards the end of last year. Gma was referred to a neuro to see if she's a candidate for for treatment that stops the progression of Alz.…
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Ever Moved LO From One MC to Another & Regretted It?
New to realizing no care team in the world can care for LO like I did in my home, emotionally/general attention/wants & needs, although clinically I could never keep up! Tell me of times where you felt similar and moved a LO to a different MC only to find that the previous team (although imperfect) was actually doing well,…
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Support from doctors
Hi everyone. I've been caring for my DW and her ALZ for the last 4 1/2 years. At first we saw her neurologist at least every 3months. He would perform a few tests to assess her lucidity and retention. Now we see him once every 6 months, he asks her a few questions about how she's feeling, if she has any questions, and then…
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shaky departure on a low staff day for dad's memory care plus recent "unwitnessed" injuries
Hello all, Dad really wanted to come with me today as I was leaving. He hasn't done that for a while, so I was out of practice. It was also a very low staff day today. For instance, I had to ring the doorbell three times (with long wait periods in between) for someone to come let me in. So I know there's a pretty good…
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Six Months
Well…it's been six months since my DW passed and I can't believe I find myself thinking about whether I'll have a relationship ever again. I just turned 60, so I guess it makes some sense, but it's only been six months! How can I be thinking about that so quickly after losing the love of my life? As I type that I also find…
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Where's the dog?
We don't have a dog. We've never had a dog. I replied, "What"?, and he repeated it again, "Cath, where's the dog"? I said, "We don't have a dog", and he seemed to come out of it a little and say,"Oh, that's right". What is going on here and what stage would you say this is?
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My DW is now refusing to take her evening medications.
Usually on queue, my DW will take her medications in the morning and in the evening. Today, I gave her the medications for the night, and she refused to take them. No matter what I tried, she would not take them. Her medications cannot be crushed and added to food (that's another story). It's very frustrating. What is a…
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Thank you and update
Thank you for the kind words and support on my earlier discussion post. Monday and Tuesday was at my wits end with Dad. Yesterday and today he has been better. I plan to go to a local Alzheimer's support group the 27th. I also talked to my PCP. My sister is another story, I explained to her I need emotional support and she…
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Mom's REPETITIVE Calling on Cell Phone - HELP & SUGGESTIONS needed
Mom is calling siblings, extended family and friends a huge amount of times a day asking for assistance in moving her back to her home from care center. An example...my sister received 30 calls on Tuesday and by early afternoon yesterday had 15. My brother received 15 calls yesterday and his wife as well. Care staff…
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First AL/MC tour was today
I didn’t tell my Mom that we were going until about 15 minutes before. I expected some kind of reaction from her. I didn’t get one. Tried to talk with her about it afterword. She didn’t have much to say about it then either. She seemed off today though. A friend wanted her phone number. She told her that she didn’t know…
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what is expected in memory care?
I am trying to understand what is expected in a memory care facility regarding personal hygiene, dietary needs and housekeeping. We just moved my dad (just turned 86) from on memory care place to a new one, mostly to get him closer to mom so she can see him every day. THe old place had a TERRIBLE menu. Supposed to have…
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Memory Care Staff + Sitters - What’s Your Experience?
Considering sitters to help with LO calling out and needing more companionship than care staff can give. Several days a weeks I visit for full days, only to find out from staff after I leave that mom winds up calling out, wanting company, pulling at stuff, trying to get out of bed, etc.. Staff tries to talk and soothe a…