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Loneliness
Hi! I've been caring for my Mom for over eight years. She's now in late/severe stage which has it's challenges but things are more calm now. It is hard to find caregivers & I do not "get out" enough; we are somewhat forgotten. I am tired. The days/weeks/years fly by. So… I thought I'd say "hello, we are alive." Take care,…
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Humor even in the late stages
My son and I share a penchant for really bad jokes. I heard three last night on a TV show (see below), and I sent them to him with the predictable response. I thought about telling them to my partner—but then I thought no, she probably wouldn't get the punch lines. But: she was having a really good day today, was actually…
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Memory Care or Keep trying at home
Is there some magic way to know when the time is right to have your loved one in a Memory Care Facility? A tipping point? I don't want to, for some reason. But I'm exhausted . I feel it would be more for me than him if he went there. Is that the right reason? He is still considered early stage. But the care needed is…
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What if money tight
What are your options if you financially can’t afford care at a facility??
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My 74 yo husband is my caregiver
My mother died from Alzheimers about 5 years ago. Knowing that can be inherited, I got a world class neurologist and had a spinal tap to see if I had the gene. I did. I am now 3 or 4 years into this and am taking a drug that I inhale called Prevagen. It seems to be working but I’m still having some emotional ups and downs…
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Aggression and apathy
My grandmother is in an assisted living/nursing home. She has Alzheimer’s disease. She becomes physically aggressive with staff and scratches, hits, kicks, and tries to bite them. This is happening more often, which I believe is from the Alzheimer’s. Lately, my grandmother will just lay in her bed and pretend to sleep. She…
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Move done , blocked phone
Well the move went well as planned into AL. She seemed happy , all be it tired after all the activity she’s not been used to. We did have an issue with the room mate. Per the director the roommate understood the common areas would be shared but she wasn’t going to have it. Thank goodness her family paid for a single suite…
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Qualifying for hospice
This is my first post since I joined this group months ago after DH was diagnosed and I’d really like input from others who have had similar experiences. Over the last 4-5 months he’s had a rapid decline physically. For a month or so, the decline was both cognitive and physical, but he had some improvement cognitively…
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Nail biting
My DH started to bite his nails way down. This is a habit he never had in the past. He tells me he can stop, but minutes later he is back biting. Worries with cold, flu seasons and germs he may pick up.
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Eating
I am beginning to suspect that my mom is not getting enough food. She will often put the majority of her food either in the fridge or back in the pan it was cooked in. She refuses food sometimes as well, claiming that she's not hungry, but not having any food all day. We don't have a kitchen table that we can sit down at…
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How big are your fiblets?
I realize this depends greatly on how much a PWD's reasoner is broken, but I think a fiblet is characterized in two ways: How big the topic is. i.e. saying that a dead person is alive (but moved far away) is big. The car (was sold off) is broken & awaiting parts is a medium sized topic (can be big in the mind of a PWD who…
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How to get prescription meds in the first place
My husband refuses to be tested and dislikes taking meds. He desperately needs meds for obsessions and anxiety. He is a great show timer at the doctors office. I have talked to him about his anxiety. He says he knows himself better than anyone and he is not anxious. I keep reading how others hide the medicine in food. A…
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Begging to get her out!!
This group has been soooo helpful in getting us to where we are now . We were finally able to take our 93 year old , mid stage Alzheimer to a semi-autonomous residence , the transition was smooth , she accepted the situation, admitting that she could not live alone anymore . After 5 days, all hell broke loose .. she is…
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Nothing but trouble with antipsychotics
I am starting to feel sorry that I ever started my husband on antipsychotic drugs. Since we began in late May, he has been on two doses of seroquel and three doses of risperidone. Seroquel made him incredibly sleepy and unsteady on his feet and did little for his agitation, so his geripsych and I bagged that after a month.…
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Request assistance n guidance
My mom is a dementia patient and she is 79 years old. Your checklist on stages of dementia has been extremely helpful to me. 2 months back I got her back home from Australia ( she was staying with my brother for 1 year) and in 2 months there has been a rapid decline in her health. I believe she has declined fro. Stage 5 to…
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Cloth diapers?
A mobility issue has led to instantaneous urinary incontinence. I'm struggling with the environmental impact of adult diapers- used 4 overnight! We created more trash last night than the last 2 months combined. Has anyone used cloth diapers with their LO? Any other ideas?
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Contracts
Read and understand all of it before signing!
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Sorry for the ramble.
Sorry for the ramble about hospice. It was my mom's hospice company I felt that way about but I'm sure they are good caring people. Tried to delete this but couldn't find where.
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Need to clarify about earlier post
I was referring to my mom's hospice company when she passed. I'm sure it was just me and they were kind and caring people. So far I have nothing but good things to say about my wife's hospice company. I need to clarify a bit better. Sorry for the
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Left Eye Blindness
Hello, Someone (maybe BW) posted a link to detailed stages. For Stage 6, it lists occipital blindness - left eye doesn't function. Has anyone experienced this with their LO? If so, what did you first notice.
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Clothing for inappropriate urination
My DH, now in memory care, likes to pee out the window of his 3rd floor room. This has been going on for a few months, even with a commode in the room and regular trips to the bathroom by staff. It's become an issue for residents on the lower floors. The staff recommended getting him overalls, thinking he wouldn't be able…
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How to encourage spouse to get memory test done
I am interested in recommendations on how to encourage my spouse to get medically tested for dementia. Friends and family say I should "trick" her into getting tested. I have no good ideas how to arrange this. She insists there is nothing wrong with her despite not being able to recall personal information such as…
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Help Needed: POA Grey Area Pre-Hospice
Looking for any help out there I can get. My dad has ALZ/VD stage 5, 80yo, is in AL/Enhanced Care. I am the activated POA and my dad has requested no ER, no hospital, no ambulance. He is still being seen by PCP and cardiologist. Dad has many medical issues in addition to moderately severe dementia; heart failure, diabetes,…
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MCF Had to Call 911 Again
I can't sleep. So here I am. This post will come across as ramblings because it probably is. DH got combative again when 3 staff tried to change him to get ready for bed. He took his night meds, too. Yet, he fought them and pushed one of the staff who fell onto the floor and got bruised up. DH wouldn't settle down. So 911…
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40th wedding anniversary
So today is our 40th wedding anniversary. Of course my DH now is well into stage 6 and recently put on hospice. He doesn’t recognize me anymore, let alone aware it’s our anniversary. Funny how your mind knows this day will just be another caregiver day. No flowers, no special dinner or weekend away to celebrate. But my…
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My DH was just diagnosed with Alz
My Dh was just diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer’s. He’s doing well now but we are both overwhelmed with making decision s for the future. Do we stay in our home of 45 years or downsize to an adult community? If we stay put, how to prepare to make home safe? How and where do I get help when I need it? What legal…
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Darkness today
Dementia is torture. It is agony. It chips away bit by bit. It will take tiny pieces for awhile and then it takes a big shocking hunk that makes you feel like you can't breathe.
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New definition of a bad day
Found DH on his hands and knees in the bathroom with poop everywhere. He was trying to clean it up by putting chunks down the shower drain. I managed to get that stopped and got him in the shower while I cleaned up the floor and the toilet. Then I scrubbed him thoroughly and got him dried and dressed. Then I started the…