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Introductions: Are you caring for someone with dementia?
My mother-in-law (MIL) had what was finally determined to be frontal temporal dementia. She had the disease from her 60s until she passed away at 86. My wife was especially involved in her mom's caregiving due to some serious denial in other family members and a GP who refused to diagnose, even when significant deficits were obvious (mistaking the UPS deliveryman for her husband and not knowing the difference between roads and sidewalks). The most unfortunate result of this, to me, was the lost time when my MIL and her family could have been having meaningful and important discussions about significant matters of importance to her and them.
In my wife's years of fighting her brain cancer, she, too, exhibited many of the aspects of mental degradation and physical losses one would affiliate with a dementia patient.
As an aside, for several years I worked for the national Alzheimer's Association raising money for their research programs nationwide.
I wish everyone struggling with this disease and their caregivers and families strength and peace.
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@IndianaScott Thanks for starting this discussion on caring for someone who has dementia. I'm tagging fellow members to join us here too @tavi @lindabf @rozalia @sma1952 @clayton48 @19lin @caregiver49 @mmurray22dad @denver90 @nhunter121 @saltyfrog @coladyrev @shellsk24 @jhammer
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3 ReactionsHello- I don't get out much and am looking for an online community of caregivers who are at home full-time caring for a parent with Alzheimers. I'd love to swap suggestions and ideas. Is there anyone out there? Thanks.
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10 Reactions@kmkm Welcome! I am in the same position as you are -- except I'm caring for my spouse. Looking forward to sharing experiences and ideas with you!
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4 ReactionsWelcome @kmkm. I moved your message to this discussion thread that @IndianaScott started to help bring together people caring for a someone who has Alzheimer's. @nanax2 just joined Connect today too. She is the primary caregiver for her mom who has Alzheimer's. I'm hoping the two of you can connect here.
Kmkm - are you caring for your mom or your dad?
Thank you, Colleen. I live with my husband, college-age daughter, and my mother. Based on her symptoms (which I've read on the Alz dot org website,) I'd say my mother is probably in the late "Middle Stage" of Alzheimers.
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1 ReactionHello @kmkm! YES, we are out here! I was a secondary caregiver for my mother-in-law while she struggled with dementia and then my wife for 14 years while she battled brain cancer and suffered from many dementia-like effects.
While I am not a doctor, nor a trained medical professional of any kind, I am more than happy to share my experiences, successes and failures, frustrations, and happy times of caregiving.
Welcome! I send...
Peace, courage, and strength
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7 ReactionsI think I "Replied" in the wrong place. Sorry. I posted below that I live with my husband, college-age daughter, and my mother. Based on her symptoms (which I've read on the Alz dot org website,) I'd say my mother is probably in the late "Middle Stage" of Alzheimers.
Thank you, IndianaScott.
You replied to the right spot kmkm! I'm so pleased that you connected here with @tavi and Scott.
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1 ReactionPlease join me in to this group. I am caring for my husband with early stages of dementia. He is constantly asking the same questions which can be nerve racking. He can still sit in a group and laugh and converse so many do not realize what is happening. He only drives in and around our area where he has lived since childhood. Never any distance. We play bridge and he amazes me how well he can play complicated hands. We exercise almost daily at a YMCA. He does do some yard work. He has started constantly itching his head, but I can see nothing. Wondering if a dematologist is needed to check.
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