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Dealing with a Spouse with a “Mild Cognitive Impairment”
Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: May 20 11:39pm | Replies (160)Comment receiving replies
Please feel free to use this as a "woe is me" site if you need to vent some steam. We're all human, and we've all been there.
My husband seems to be in the same general state as yours with MCI. He has few memories of our lives together, is relatively independent but gets lost, can't work his phone, etc. I'm handling it so far by trying to maintain my other relationships while I'm still free to do so. I know that when his dementia worsens I'll be a lot more limited. I intend to care for him at home as long as possible. So, I walk a few miles a day, exercise a bit with weights at home, and do stretching exercises. Endorphins are good. I try to befriend new people so I'm not so lonely and maintain good relationships with family, but we don't have many relatives nearby. Basically, I suggest exercise and friendships...and this site.
Replies to "Please feel free to use this as a "woe is me" site if you need to..."
I also understand having not many relatives nearby. We have one son who lives on the west coast & I have a brother in the southwest west. He has a brother here but I don’t think he is aware of the extent of the impairment. He also has a cousin who lost her mom (his aunt) to AD so she is aware of the struggles & I keep in touch with her.
I am in a similar situation with my 80-year-old husband and have been told by our doctor that it's only going to get worse; that his heart would outlast his brain. I was prepared to do the caregiver thing but last September I had an unusually odd major stroke (basilar artery occlusion) that I survived mostly intact except I do find myself quite tired all the time and with an unstable gait. I can still cook, do dishes and some light housekeeping but now he has decided that he is MY Caregiver; afraid I might die anytime. (My doctor thinks I have several good years ahead of me.) I don't quite know how to handle this situation now. He spends money like a drunken sailor and that worries me as well. What are my options when he gets so bad I can't deal with him anymore?
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Thank you for the suggestions. I’m thinking of working with a trainer to try to regain some of my muscle strength. I’ve also considered restarting music lessons. I bought a bass guitar to take up when I retired but my lessons have been off & on due to injuries I’ve sustained. I’ve also thought of taking up flute & piano which I played as a girl but have lost much ground over the years. I’m just not sure I have the stamina to do all three which sounds silly to say. I used to do 2 of the 3 with no problem at all. The stress of the MCI diagnosis has just taken so much out of me. Drained me really. I guess I will see what I am able to do (commit to).