@flylgw He received the diagnosis in 2014. He needed to go into assistive living in 2022, although he was fully functional with personal care and ambulation. He got into “you’re not the boss of me” and wouldn’t eat the diabetic diet I cooked or allow me to do the meds, got everything mixed up and landed in the hospital. The neurologist and his PCP said it wasn’t safe for him to come home, as he continued uncooperative with me. He went into AL and Surprise! He has never asked to come home and is healthier than he’s ever been with the structure, guy friends, musical activities, and the attention and teasing from “the girls”.
The PCP put him on memantine in 2014, but googling it says it loses it’s effectiveness after several years, but PCP says once on these types of meds, they usually just continue them.
I’m not sorry the IV choice wasn’t available or offered back in 2014. He’s happy, content, safe, getting good care, and I can have a life too.
Now, in July 2026, he continues independent in self-care, supervised from a distance for showering for safety (at my request). He had 2 small strokes in 2024, Physical Therapy says is no longer safe to be an independent walker with any assistive device, uses a wheelchair for independent mobility with his feet, does a nice independent pivot transfer to/from bed, toilet, passenger seat in my car. His cognitive status has slowly declined, but he knows me, knows the kids, has a great long-term memory, much shorter short term memory, is very cooperative with the staff.