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New to the group
Hi to all of you. I just stumbled onto this site. I don't know if it's normal to have a dramatic turn in abilities or memory or if it comes and goes quickly? My FIL started down this road last December. He has bouts of not knowing how old he is. He's 77 and he thinks he is 20 then 30 then 50. He has always worked right up…
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When to seek hospice assessment?
Hi, My mother is my father main caregiver but I see her increasingly doing more than her body can handle. She is not getting enough sleep because he keeps her up at night. She has to hold him up, and now she's starting to feed him. My father is a different person he was in the Spring. Now he sleeps constantly and barely…
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have covid can’t visit MC
We had to move my dad who is 82 to memory care about three weeks ago because we couldn’t lift him to change him anymore. He’s in hospice with heart failure and the dementia. In the process my mom (80) and I (51) caught covid and it’s been a week but we are both still symptomatic and testing positive. We are brokenhearted…
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Any alternatives to Hospice?
Hello, My mom is getting over her 3rd hospitalization for aspiration pneumonia. With the Lord's help, she's getting over it, but both hospitals I took her to have pushed hospice and "home health agencies". Been with two different home health agencies and not all impressed. Seems they can't do much for liability reasons.…
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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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Hospice for Alzheimer's Patient
My mom is a resident at an assisted living memory care community. She is 84 years old and has had memory issues for 4.5 years. She has been living in assisted living for 2 years and is declining rapidly. She is in a wheelchair all the time and is a 2-person assist for everything. The problem is that the 2-person assist is…
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Update on husband and hospice
My husband has been on hospice care for about a month and a half. I definitely didn't think he was ready and was truly surprised when he was approved. I've been blown away by the level of care. His nurse comes weekly and is so good with him. The CNA showers him twice weekly. The social worker, chaplain, and music therapist…
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My DW & Hospice Education
Today, my DW of 25 years was released from the ravages of of this evil disease (+ cancer) and is, truly, in a better place. I was lucky enough to be by her side, holding her hand, when she passed. And I might have been alarmed at the changes she underwent, if not for having learned about the signs and sounds and changes…
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Sister said she put mom in Hospice
Well I was not ready for this, now I will see what happens next. I did see my Mom yesterday just briefly, she was sleeping. Hugged and kissed her. I am thankful, God bless.
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Hospice started
Hello friends My husband was approved for hospice today. I'm all over the place. I'm sad and exhausted. It was hard to hear that we're at this point. I'm weirdly relieved in some ways. But honestly, I'm not ok. I appreciate all of you who have helped me so far. I'll continue to lean on this forum full of truly kind people…
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the long night
It's about 4:30AM here. My mom called me around 11 and I knew I needed to come over to keep her company and help. I've read the hospice book and this forum and my books and all that for months now, but seeing this in real life is obviously different. He might be in the actively dying stage now? Wasn't really expecting that…
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pain management and further progression
Hi friends, Things are progressing over here (as they always are). We have a low dose of morphine on board now. My dad's legs are extremely stiff and causing him pretty consistent pain, it appears. Brought this up to his hospice nurse when he visited last week and he said we should start morphine now, because once the pain…
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possibly transitioning to next stage?
Hi friends, It feels late at night even though it's 7:30PM here. Wanted to check-in about the kookiness we've had going on today. Some catch-up from the last couple of weeks: my dad might be starting to struggle with eating/using his hands. More confusion about how to do things (take pills, drink from straw). As he's…
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Estimating time left?
I previously posted that my step-dad was accepted into hospice a week and a half ago. Neither the hospice nurse nor the AL nurse would give me a time frame. Does anyone know a website or PDF that I could try to estimate a timeframe with? He might drink one regular sized Ensure or water - total- a day - maybe. He’s probably…
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Only advocate and caregiver for grandma
I am new here and posting for the first time. I just returned home from my weekly visit with my 89 y/o grandma at a skilled nursing longterm care facility. She has been there now for 4 years and I have been trying unsuccessfully to move her closer to me for the past 2 years. She is in the late stages,rarely…
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hospice, meds, changes, etc.
Hi y'all. Just checking in and updating on the progression of things. I'm positive my dad (83, general dementia diagnosis) is transitioning to a new stage. Sleeping more, shorter attention span, eating less. He doesn't chit-chat with me like he was before. Things moved quickly with our switch to the new PCP & health group.…
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Adjusting to the decline & hospice
Hi everyone, we have a nurse practitioner coming to the house next Friday and then the week after that we'll be having a virtual visit with his new physician. I've also been in contact with a hospice/homecare group for about the entire time he's been home. She checks in on how he's doing, and she recommended this new…
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Feeling sad, mad, frustrated, and all that goes along with moving LO into an ALF.
Hi. I am new to this forum. I have been on the Dementia / ALZ journey with my Mom since 2019. She was still living at home on her own until this June. Up until then I had taken over managing all of her finances, going to her house every week to buy groceries, setup her pills for the week (and check to make sure she has…
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Mama
On June 29, 2023 my mama passed away at 8:22 pm. I had been her full-time caregiver for almost 7 years. During that time I was also a college student. I saw my mama everyday during her illness. I didn’t want her to go on the journey alone. She was on in-home hospice for almost 2 years. The hospice my mama was with I feel…
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Coping with hospice
Hello everyone, I’m new to this community. I (26 years old) have been a caretaker for my 86 year old grandmother for 6 years since her diagnosis was made (aphasia dementia). She has recently been declining, and just this evening my family had made the decision to begin hospice care for her. It was an emotional decision,…
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My mama passed
On June 29, 2023 my mama passed away at 8:22 pm. I had been her full-time caregiver for almost 7 years. During that time I was also a college student. I saw my mama everyday during her illness. I didn’t want her to go on the journey alone. She was on in-home hospice for almost 2 years. The hospice my mama was with I feel…
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Brain donation / autopsy
My dad is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s. My siblings and I would like to get an autopsy done to learn more about his specific diagnosis. The Brain Donor Project rejected us. Have others gotten private autopsies? We’ve been quoted 4000$ for a private autopsy which seems worth it for closure/to see if there is a higher…
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How to cope with loss of grandmother.
My 93 yr old grandmother passed away on 6/10/23. She lived with us for around 7yrs and was in hospice care for 6 months before she was moved into a facility right after Easter. Her dementia had gotten worse and she needed 24hr care, which we couldnt provide any longer. I know what we had to do what was in her best interest…
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Hospice nurse and AL nurses clashing
Who has dealt with this situation? My mom, 94, dementia and bedridden, began hospice a few months ago. The territorialism of the AL nurses didn't come to the forefront till now. My mom moans and complains whenever she is turned, diaper changed, or otherwise moved. Otherwise, she rests peacefully due in part to her fentanyl…