-
New adult child caring for parent. My long intro.
Hi everyone, I'm new here and relatively new to being a caregiver. I myself am disabled and have had several family members with disabling conditions. Along with working in social work, this has given me a bit of an advantage at least in understanding some of the resources available (and not so available). I noticed some…
-
Feeling lost
I’m new here. My wife is at the early stages, she is 67 and I am 60. I still have to work so our lives have a lot of moving pieces. Slowly I have been watching my wife deteriorate. The past 6 months it seems like even the easier tasks are getting harder for her & take her a lot more time. It’s like her problem solving…
-
Ending Medication
My mom was taking 5mg of donepezil- a very small dose. 10mg gave her terrible hallucinations and 5 mg just gave her various stages of bad dreams. (That's why she was in 5mg) She absolutely hates taking medicine and I hated her taking it unnecessarily. The doctor, actually 2 doctors, suggested that 5 mg probably wasn't…
-
Administering my moms meds by a non-medical caregiver
My mom has been dealing with Alzheimer’s/Dementia for the last 6 years. She is now end stage and has 24/7 care. I have her medication made up in little pouches and the caregiver were crushing and mixing with apple sauce. I just learned that the agency does not allow the caregivers to crush or mix with food. I do t know…
-
Early onset of Alzheimer’s and the cost of long term care
Hello All, My mother was diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimer’s in 2015 at the age of 51. She just turned 59, and the disease has progressed significantly. My father had to move her into a memory care unit housed in a nursing facility. She has been unable to take care of herself for years and needs additional one on one…
-
Reaching Out!
Hello, I am a new member and reaching out to help relieve my stress that I'm going through! My DH has had Alzheimer's for 6 years now, us being married 54 years and retired 20 years and within the last couple of months he is not recognizing me all the time. It starts late afternoons lasting until bedtime, which I found out…
-
LO Actively Refuses to Socialize
Hi everyone! I hope you all had very happy holidays, and a happy new year! My mama (diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's) has always been a social butterfly. However, due to Covid-19 and her diagnosis, has become quite sheltered. I've been told multiple times how socializing is key for a person with Alzheimer's/Dementia…
-
Surgery and possible progression
I already suspected that my mom was progressing from mild to moderate, but after a surgery, things have become even more noticeable, but it's also unknown whether the surgery was a factor. But now I'm also worried she might be going even further than moderate. Her sleeping got a little screwed up due to meds making her…
-
Starting diagnosis process
Hello, my 91 year old dad has been showing signs of confusion and memory loss for about a year now. A few months ago he fell and had to be in the hospital and rehab. The fall has caused issues with his kidneys and heart. We elected to move him to an assisted living facility. He is completely wheelchair bound and a major…
-
Caregiving Apps
Hi there, I just downloaded the free app, Carely, to see if we can organize care and visits for my aunt. Her husband is her full-time caregiver and we are trying to make it easy for him to let us know when he would like a break or help. Have any of you used Carely or other app? Any good tips? Thank you.
-
New Here & Need to vent - Mom has Alzheimer's and Dad is stubborn...
Hi Everyone - I am so happy to find this community as I am definitely struggling with many things! I mostly just need to share and vent and I appreciate the space to do so. Here goes. My parents (married 60 years) live together in a 55+ community (independent - no outside help except family) about 30 minutes from me. My…
-
New to mothers ALZ
Hello - I'm Erik and I have been holding so much emotion inside since my mom's formal diagnosis of ALZ. My family lived a very tumultuous life as a child leading to my parents always living a part. My mom went onto 3 ex-husbands in search of love, while raising 3 boys on her own. She found her prince of 20 years who is a…
-
Drastic Change in Posture
Hi all! My mom is 70 and I am her 27 yo daughter/caregiver. Over the summer we placed her in a memory care unit due to her FTD getting worse. Last month, within a week her posture drastically changed. She is hunched over and she is unable to move her head up (her chin is touching her chest). She was just evaluated by a…
-
2 Parents with Dementia - HELP
Hello, I’m new here. I’m 31 and over the last two weeks, both of my parents have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s/Dementia. My dad is only 56 and has ben diagnosed with mixed dementia - doctors are still trying to figure out his “unique situation” as he has no previous health conditions. He hasn’t been has a cavity before.…
-
What to do after the diagnosis
My dad was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. However, his neurologist said he’s been on the cognitive decline for about 3 years already. Unfortunately, I only started noticing changes in his personality and memory at the beginning of this year. The things that were most noticeable were problems with his short term…
-
Bible Verse to Lift You Up 9/12/23
Friends, again I thank you so much for your messages. Hugs to all of you! LOVE THE LORD * Deuteronomy 6:5 New King James Version 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. * Whatever we desire most becomes most important to us. * Be loyal to Jesus, our Savior and…
-
Caregivers Support by Participating in a New Study
Hello! I am new to all of this, only have had experience with dementia and Alzheimer's when both my Grandmother and my husband's Grandmother were diagnosed many years ago. We just learned my Mom's results of recent neurology tests, and all of this is overwhelming. I feel helpless, especially living 3+ hours from the rest…
-
Bible Verse to Lift You Up 9/12/23
Friends, again I thank you so much for your messages. Hugs to all of you! LOVE THE LORD * Deuteronomy 6:5 New King James Version 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. * Whatever we desire most becomes most important to us. * Be loyal to Jesus, our Savior and…
-
Managing Paranoia from LO
Hi all, I'm new here and just needing support. My step-dad started experiencing some memory loss a few years ago. Things like forgetting details of conversations or that the conversations even took place, forgetting the words for things, or needing to hear things repeated. He had pretty good self-awareness about it too. We…
-
Young Adults Dementia Relatives
This is something that often goes unheard when it comes to young adults in the world who loving as they are, when it comes to many of the concerns on how to care for a relative(s) that have Dementia, they don't have the full training in being a caregiver. People around them know they're the best family member, so they're…
-
Should I let estranged granddaughter visit?
My dad is 85 and has moderate dementia. He is currently in a SNF. My niece (his granddaughter) has asked to go see him and bring her 2 kids. She hasn't had any contact with him for several years and he has never met his great-grandchildren (they're both teenagers). Am I wrong to not let her visit him? When he is asked if…
-
A Group for My Husband to Feel Comfortable In...
Are there groups for patients with Alzheimers and if so are those groups aligned with the different stages of the disease? I ask because I think my husband would benefit from being a part of a group where he can identify with others and share experiences and learn. But, what I hesitate to do is have him in a group where…
-
My stepmom and I are just beginning to deal with my dad's dementia care.
I am new here, and I need some help. We have known about my dad's dementia for about 7 years. It has been a slow decline in memory with a huge uptick in anxiety. The primary doctor ruled out Alzeimer's, but we aren't sure if that was done correctly. He has all the signs of being in the middle-stage. Now, his decline seems…
-
DH has MCI - Support Appreciated
A little background. I am 65 and EA is 72. Married 15 years. EA is a liver transplant recipient 14 years ago, Vietnam vet who contracted Hep C while serving, diagnosed with MCI September 2022 and deals with chronic pain. EA is still able to perform daily living skills, working remodeling projects around house and will…
-
Resources for scheduling respite
Hello! I am new to this group but look forward to getting to know you all! I personally feel that one of the hardest parts of caregiving is making/finding time for respite. Does anyone have any suggestions for resources they like to use to schedule respite?
-
Strong maternal genetics to Alzheimer’s
I am 29 and recently lost my mom to Alzheimer’s. She had early onset around 50-52yo. I was the one who got her diagnosed but was not around for the worst/later stages. She didn’t make it to 60yo. As a baby, I remember my maternal great grandmother had late onset Alzheimer’s as well. And within the past couple years my…
-
Support Groups - Virtual
Newbie here. I'm looking for virtual support groups for long distance caregivers. My mom was recently diagnosed with MCI and is resistant (or just flat out isn't doing) to any of the coping recommendations the doctor/social worker have made. She's a 6 hour drive away and on her own (father passed away in 2022). Although I…
-
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…