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Hi, @rubies21 Welcome to Mayo Connect and this caregiving group. Nice to have you here! I am Scott and I was my wife's caregiver during her 14+ year war with brain cancer.
I'm sorry to read of your husband's recent diagnosis. That must be a challenge for him and for you!
Caregiving is indeed a long road, which comes with its own set of hills, bumps, mountains, valleys, and surprises along the way. While I know each of our patients, their medical conditions, and our caregiving journeys are unique, I offer a couple of things that helped me along the route.
One was that caregiving is much more of a marathon than a sprint, although many times we find ourselves running as fast as we can!
Another was for me to remember the old adage "one day at a time". Often I'd remind myself that if I could caregiver for one day, I could do it again for one day.
I love this group as it gave me a lot of hope knowing others had been through what I was experiencing and trying to manage.
Do you have any specific questions or areas of concern at this point?
Strength, Courage, & Peace
Replies to "Hi, @rubies21 Welcome to Mayo Connect and this caregiving group. Nice to have you here! I..."
Hi Scott, I am Janet at 81 years young and my husband Will is 79 years young and has had vascular Dementia since 2014, after he had a heart valve replaced. He had 2 mini-strokes which started the Dementia.
He does amaze me with the things he can still do, like driving a car (a little too fast), playing Solitaire on his tablet, playing card games, puzzles, etc. and sometimes remembers things I forget. The other night he told me that he was quiet when we were visiting with another couple because he couldn’t remember things to talk about. But he keeps trying and I give him credit for trying.
We are beginning to have financial problems and I’m afraid we will run out of money. Who would you recommend to us who can help us with this situation? A social worker, or a lawyer (we can’t afford one), a geriatric social worker? We will eventually need to have Medicaid and we will need help applying for it. I’m trying to be level-headed about what should be done but my insides are shaking.
I would appreciate whatever advice you would give us.
Thank you Scott!
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