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How can I deal with undiagnosed, unrecognized, likely dementia?
Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: Jun 28 1:56pm | Replies (53)Comment receiving replies
Greetings and welcome.
After reading your description it sounds like your friend may have Anosognosia, meaning, no self awareness. My husband has this and has no idea he has dementia, so any steps I take are challenging since he sees no point (e.g., taking away his debit/credit cards after financial abuse, having him surrender his license after he nearly killed us and another driver).
It's tough and challenging, more so for you since you are not married (making any legal intervention tricky).
I just had to yell and scream and cry to get my husband to listen to me, and he still didn't know what all the fuss was about.
It's hard to know how to support you, but we will all try. You may want to join a dementia support group, and perhaps take some caregiver classes if you are going to continue living with your friend.
All the best. 🌺
Replies to "Greetings and welcome. After reading your description it sounds like your friend may have Anosognosia, meaning,..."
@judimahoney just wanted to add, I am registered with an dementia support group. (They have virtual meetings and I’m not comfortable with that. Also, I feel like I’m jumping the gun because the changes I see in him are not severe.) I also have a seniors’ mental health support person who emails and calls regularly, to monitor the situation.
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@judimahoney thanks for sharing, Judi! I’ve done some yelling and crying too, trying to break through the obtuseness. I’ll do a bit more research about Anosognosia.
I suppose it’s possible my friend might go in in this state for years. Except I don’t really trust that thought because I’ve seen changes happen so quickly already.