New Member - First Post

Welcome Linda! I bet you have much to offer in the way of experience and first hand knowledge too, I am familiar with caregiving someone with vascular dementia and it’s not easy. I do empathize. I’ll look forward to seeing your posts.

Hello and welcome, @ljchr I'm glad you found this community! Caregiving was terribly isolating to me and brought me here. I bet you'll find the same support and helpful suggestions I did!

Strength, Courage, & Peace

@celia16
Thank you, Celia. You're experience with vascular dementia will be very helpful. This disease is the same - yet a little different with each person. I look forward to being a member of this forum and getting the support from people like you.

@IndianaScott
Thank you, Scott. I am looking forward to the same support and helpful suggestions and am sure I will get that here.

My husband was diagnosed with vascular dementia 5 years ago, and he is doing ok. Still cooks, gardens and shops. He tries to be helpful around the house, as I am physically limited with spinal stenosis and a lung condition. He is also an insulin-dependent diabetic, legally blind and has congestive heart failure. His medication for aggression was increased a couple of months ago, which is really appreciated and has made a vast difference in his and my life. His short-term memory is almost gone. His main complaint is that he is always tired. Of course, his dementia and congestive heart failure cause his brain to tire, but also his hours on the tablet. So we are trying an experiment where he turns off his tablet an hour before bed to see if that helps. The tablet increases brain activity, which interferes with deep sleep.

@baj
Thank you for your comment, baj. It seems like you certainly have your challenges - and I'm so sorry that we both have these challenges to deal with. My husband can't cook anymore, occasionally helps me with my supervision. He too, has no short term memory. Turning off the tablet will most likely help with his sleep.
One thing that I do - I had read where dementia patients like music. I have a playlist of his favorite songs (4 hours worth) and we have a concert night during the week. He loves the music and sings along with the songs. I read that even if the dementia patient forgets who you are, they most likely will relate to music. Our concert night is very calming and relaxing for us both. Take care.

We will definitely try the concert night - he really likes music! Thank you for the idea!! All the best and wishing you both an uneventful week.