Long Distance Caregiving

My dad is in an assisted living facility and my siblings and I are doing our best to try to do what is best for him. I have been looking for a support group, but they are all during the day geared toward retired care gives. I would like to find or start a group for adult children in the evening or weekend. Is there any…

Hi all, I'm new here. I have a much older sister in her mid-70s (one who I hardly knew growing up) who lives in another county, about an hour away—still in her own apartment. The only other family member is our brother, closer in age to her, who lives a bit closer to her, but is rarely involved. As I agreed years ago to be…

Hello everyone, I am new. Last year, my mother was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's dementia; then a PET scan was clear, and they said it was a mild cognitive disorder with a tendency to grow into dementia. A year later, the situation is worse, and it is clear that this is dementia. But my mother refuses to go to the…

Hi, my father, who is 79, was diagnosed with dementia early stage of Alzheimer’s the first part of 2025. Also a few months ago my Dad was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Since that time his dementia has progressed quite rapidly, and he is getting treatment for the leukemia. I live in Arizona and my father and…

I am struggling trying to keep up with my step-mother, who has been diagnosed with Dementia. In 2024 she went in for knee surgery and had a cardiac arrest. Since then it has been downhill. I feel like I'm living in the movie "Groundhog Day" living the same day over and over. I have three siblings who live closer to her,…

I live about an hour flight from my Mom and have been visiting her around every month or so. This trip she was asked who i was and one time she said "my sister," and another time "my sister-in-law." When someone told her i was her daughter she looked absolutely shocked. Yesterday we were looking at pictures and she pointed…

My 85-year-old mother was diagnosed with dementia 7 years ago. My older father insisted on caring for her and hiding how bad things were from my sister and me. We started 4 years ago to try to get him to consider in-home care or assisted living. He finally agreed and they moved into a lovely community in October. However,…

I live in Oklahoma and my mother and stepdad live in Maryland. My stepdad is currently in a memory care facility with advanced Alzheimer's. My mother has a severe physical disability and has also recently been diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's. My sister and her husband moved into my mother's home to care for her,…

Hi all, My mom has advanced Alzheimers and Vascular Dementia. I guess it is between stage 5 and stage 6. She gets full time care in a skilled nursing home. She can´t do any daily tasks without assistance (though the nurse sets her up to wash her own face and brush her own teethI, can´t walk, needs a machine to take her to…

Hi everyone. I’m new here. My wife and I are trying to get my mother in law moved from LA out to PHX but it seems impossible to re-establish care in a new state while trying to create as smooth of a transition as possible. Hoping to get her started on Kisunla asap but insurance just denied it and now it feels like we are…

My father has recently lost the ability to drive and is particularly bored. My mom is home with him, but I know it's taxing for her, and all the children are located elsewhere, so we can't support. Can anyone offer suggestions so he isn't just on his phone all day?

My mother has dementia. Her brother died recently (he had Alzheimer's and died of natural causes). My mom is confused and upset by his death and has been believing her brother committed suicide (which is absolutely not true). We are comforting her but does anyone have advice for disabusing her of the suicide notion.

I have PoA (financial and medical) for my LO with dementia. Other family members and I have a difference of opinion on where my LO should live. I’m just trying to honor my LO’s wishes as long as it’s feasible. I received communications from these family members that make me think they are gearing up to challenge my…

Does anyone have advice on how to inform a parent about major necessary home repairs? My siblings and I live out-of-state from my mom. While she still lives independently, she has trouble with executive function, particularly finding and hiring people to do home maintenance. Her roof is old and is in a state of total…

So I made a few posts here earlier this month about my mom and how my parents were struggling. I think we've gotten past the crisis point that occurred - my dad has said he's doing a lot better at keeping things calm at home with my mom. I do think at least some of the worst of what was going on was due to my dad's hip…

This is a helpful tip (I hope), and also a question if others can recommend frame brands. My mother has grown increasingly confused about organizing her day. She is solidly in Stage 4, so I think this post is most applicable around that phase. We have found it very helpful to give her a photo frame on her dining table.…

My 84-year-old Mom lost her husband of 60 years — my dad — just 2.5 months ago. She is really grieving hard. So we are hesitant to add more unwanted changes to her life just yet. The problem is, we believe she is around Stage 3 or 4…. (Doctor just did MMES and she scored 24 out of 30, which was just below normal but we…

Ever since my mother's stupid eye doctor told her she was okay to drive, she has been RELENTLESS. She won't drive unless I give her my blessing (thankfully), but it is so bad. In our daily phone call today, she yelled and swore at me the whole time, wanted to know why I insisted on treating her like a baby, why I don't…

I know you are not supposed to rationalize and explain with someone who has anosognosia, but what kinds of things can I say to appease my mom, who has become OBSESSED with driving again, especially when she asks why her 3 friends who invite her to lunch can drive themselves but she can’t? Her eye doctor told her earlier…

Anyone who has been following my saga knows I’ve been staying with my recently widowed mom for over a week because I became alarmed about her confusion during my last visit. At the beginning of this week, I was determined to get her into AL right away. Now after seeing 2 doctors who both basically told her she is fine and…

Finally got my mom to her doctor, discussed with the doctor first our concerns about her confusion and memory loss, they gave her the MMES test — and she scored a 24 out of 30, which is just below "normal." Our experience with her is that she is much worse than this. She has been struggling for a long time with dates,…

Hi there, I am new to this group and new to the dementia journey with my mom. My father passed away right before Christmas, and now she is alone in their home. I live 2.5 hours away, and my only other sibling is 5 hours away from her. Mom has been showing signs of dementia for about 2 years, but has really declined over…

I need some advice .. My step father who is only 61 years old has been battling frontal lobe dementia for 2 years now but recently his behaviors have increased to being up at night wandering from room to room , pacing and moderate confusing and anger, with possible treats of wanting to end his life , but he was not…

(Apologies, but I feel like I have to redact this post and the follow-ups at this point to keep some details private. Thank you all, especially H1235 and Victoriaredux.)

My 75yo father has been experiencing memory issues for years. We just received the alz diagnosis with a blood test confirmation. Living alone, no family other than me, driving, medications, food, safety, poa - all of it is a lot, but we are navigating. My biggest question and concern is where and how to navigate his…

Long story - mostly venting but all suggestions welcome. Mom 85 has unspecified dementia; cognitive tests indicate Alz but amyloid PET scan was negative so could be vascular or other type. Mom has taken the negative PET result to mean Alz was "misdiagnosed" and therefore she is "well". Short term memory is in obvious…

Hi all, new to these forums and am my mother's primary (long-distance) caregiver since she moved into a very good MC facility in 2023. My mother is in a good way, quite positive and at peace thankfully, if alot of tiredness and some moments of frustration. As I am based in Europe and she's in the Washington, DC area, I…

I'm starting this discussion because I've finally found some peace as a caregiver. I am a caregiver for my dad, who has Alzheimer's. At one point, everything became too much for me. He started to be more needy, and his memory is getting worse. I have to leave the house to go to work, and he would call me for every single…

I'm at a major crossroads and feeling a huge mix of relief, guilt, and stress. I'm hoping for some practical advice, especially from those who've managed long-distance care for someone with dementia. For the past few years, my life has been completely dedicated to caring for my uncle. He got divorced about 10 years ago and…

After a difficult effort to force my sister's POA (her son) to resign when we discovered he had taken more than half of her wealth, I am stepping into the role of her conservator and guardian which I am doing from across the country. My sister, who is in a moderate stage of dementia, is safe in an assisted living residence…