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Newsfeed PostNewsfeed Post in blog Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Acceptance and Kindness Oct 8, 2022 | By Dr. Anne Shandera-Ochsner, HABIT Midwest Director (@dranneshanderaochsner)Comment receiving replies
Helpful, but late for me. Caregiver.
Doctors seem to give a so called diagnosis if my husband has some brain disturbance but that is it. So we go home and everything is stays quo. As time goes on his disturbance becomes my disturbance and I become irritated with his so many things he does or doesn’t do. Had the doctor counseled us both at the time and as time went on about the kindness part and also the family it would have helped me at least, the caregiver. The family needs counseling as soon as possible. This brain problem of any kind needs all the family on board. I understand some family members can be skeptical but hearing from his doctor would help. My husband still after 3 years of having a doctor tell us MCI but he is sleeping up to 19 hours in a 24 hr period
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I sympathize with your situation. My close friend's husband was in a downward trend from MCI into more serious dementia during Covid. She was very fortunate to be in a close-knit tiny community with many friends who "got it" and could help her, but when they went home in Spring was very isolated. All caregiver support was shut down in her rural area, and her kids didn't understand.
Do you know if there are any support groups for family and caregivers near you? Usually the doctor or staff have some information, but if not, you could contact your County or State Senior services, or even a nearby senior center.
Also, does your husband have other health issues? The amount of sleep seems high for a diagnosis of MCI, but a lot of meds could be contributing to sleepiness. Is he able to be active at all when awake?
Do you have help and support from your family or friends? If not, what do you need to get started on talking to them to let them know how difficult this situation is? When people ask "How are things?" do you say "Fine" or do you share even a little of what you are dealing with?
Sue