my husband was diagnosed last week with early onset alzheimers he is 55 he has been showing signs for a while several years but although his memory is bad hes been the same i got tired of him and the kids mentioning his memory and took him to the dr to make him tell them about it after a cat scan and bloodwork they say he has alzhiemersbecause of some of the veins in the scan i feel like i have been hit in the stomach he and i have always been friens as well as married so now its a scary thing to take in
I am so sorry, Linda. You will find a lot of caring people here who will cry and smile with you with you when you need it. They will also give you some very good advise to make your life easier. Welcome to this website.
Linda, So sorry you have to be here but you will get great advice, caring and friendship. My DH was DX'd in September of 2007, so far he is doing okay and is on Aricept. Now and then he is "off the wall" but can still shower, shave, dess himself, make a cup of coffee or a sandwich. His biggest problem (in MHO) is his memory it last a minute!!! Hang in there you have come to the right place.
Linda, welcome, you have found the right place. You can come here anytime of the day or night, and there will always be someone here for you. My advice is to pace yourself. You're in for a long haul so please take care of yourself. Welcome, new friend. ~Di
Linda...Congratulations! You found us. ALZ is a long haul illness. The folks on this site will be here with you all the way. Make yourself as aware of the disease as you can...inform yourself. And take a deep breath every chance you get.....Ann
Linda, Hi & Welcome. I am so sorry you have the need to join us, however, you have come to the right place. I am sure you will find everyone here kind, helpful beyond belief & non-judgemental. This board has been a godsend to me. My husband is 58 years old with FTD. He started having memory problems at 52 years old. We have caregivers from their 30's to 80's. And many different stages in this dreadful disease. Please feel free to post at any time. Again welcome.
You are very welcome here, linda t. I know it is distressing to find out your LO has Alz. We are all in the same state and you will find us accepting. Has your DH been placed on medication yet?
Linda, a big welcome to you and so glad you found us! We will be here for you, for your questions, if you need to vent, or whatever. This board has been my salvation.
Linda, welcome. There is alot of info you will need to take in and this is the place to find it. Go to the main page and scroll down on the left side. I know the shock that you are dealing with, and it will take time for it to sink in. Take deep breaths and relax, we can all make it thru this journey by supporting each other.
Glad you found us, Linda, and you'll be grateful as time goes on, too. I know I am. A wonderful, helpful, kind group of friends here. Read Joan's blogs and other discussions and you'll find bushels of help.
he is on arricept (sp) not sure the spelling started on it on monday last we never suspected he would get it as far as we know no family member has it but most of the men in his family died young early 50's so we didnt have much to compare with and the women have a lot of problems but not this i am also dealing with a mom on dialysis and a father whos in denial about her heart condition i have started making out papers for ss disability he is a maintenance person and finding himself not going to the right buildings or rooms to work in that hes supposed to he said i know its the wrong place but my mind tells me its right even when i know its not i worked in a nursing home a long while ago and know how bad it gets for them but not in the postion im in now
Linda--it is really quite a jolt, isn't it. You are at the right place. You will learn a lot and this is a place where you can vent--and you will want to. This is a long journey and some days are worse than others. Blessings.
Welcome to my website. As everyone said, you have found a good place for support and understanding. Please log onto the home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com - and scroll through the resources on the left side. I would recommend starting with "Newly Diagnosed/New to this site", then EOAD (Early Onset ), then "Understanding the Dementia Experience". And after all that, click on "previous blogs", and scroll through the topics. You will find many to which you can relate.
We're all in the same leaky boat, helping each other row.
Linda T- welcome -there are alot of early onset AD members here that care for their young spouses. its seeming to be more prevelant lately that more members are so young. lots of good info and people who care just a text away so feel free to post often. Divvi
Linda, You have found a wonderful place to gather all the info and support you will need for the AD journey. First you need to take a deep breath! Another! I know your week has been crazy, and its a lot to digest everything that has been thrown at you. We have all been there, my Dh is one of those early onset AD LO's. He was diagnosed at 53 though there were issues further back. Honestly looking back my Dh and his Dad who passed from complications of AD 3 weeks after Dh was diagnosed could have probably been diagnosed around the same time had we even thought that Alzheimer's might be the issue. Early onset has its own set of issues. Sounds like your getting on the ball with disability. You have a long road ahead of you with Disability but they are getting better about the whole Alzheimer's issue and aren't fighting as much. Have the doctors ordered a Pet Scan? Basically having the results of that would be helpful in your Dh's disability case. I don't know about cat scan results and how they view them as proof. You might want to contact a disability lawyer cause the process is so screwed up! You honestly don't need that added stress................................
I don't know where you live but you need to check into some support groups for your kids, the way you talked of them I got the impression that they still live at home. We don't have children at home so I can't help much there, But there are others here who do and should be able to help with some info there. I don't know how much of a resource your local Alzheimer's Ass will be, my area one is pretty much useless. Hopefully you will find the experiance differently. Hang in there, again take a breath, give yourself some time to get use to this. Have a good cry! Scream if you need to, But know that you will make it thru this journey! Rk
Welcome to Alz Spouse. Reading and posting on this website has been a comfort to me. My husband also was dx with eoad at age 59, is now 64. I agree with a lot that Rk said above. The SS Disability can be a difficult battle, and it is good to get a professional to help you through it. I hired a consultant, and we were lucky to get an approval in record time. I would highly recommend doing that, if your funds will allow--it will take an extra responsibility off of your plate.
Regarding the Alz Assn, my first impression of them wasn't good. However, that really changed over time and I am now co-facilitating a support group for community spouses for them. Ours (Maryland) chapter has been focusing on Younger Onset Dementia recently. They have started a specific support group for that, has held one conference last year and will hold another in May; and is in the very early stages of working on a social day program for Younger Onset Dementia sufferers. Please call your local chapter and ask specifically what services they offer for younger families who have a LO with dementia.
Rk--I'm sorry you feel your local Alz Assn chapter is of no help--my experience has been quite different. I'm surprised, because I think it's a national mandate from their headquarters in Chicago to focus on younger onset. I was turned off initially because I spoke with a volunteer on the phone who only offered to send me pamphlets and told me to buy the book "The 36 Hour Day". But I needed more, so I called back until I spoke with one of the paid staff and got the ball rolling. Pester them to start a Young Onset Support Group--tell them to contact the Maryland Chapter--they will share what they are doing, I'm sure.
The advice to take a deep breath is really good ... keep breathing! And pace yourself, as Diane said.
Take some time to learn more about AD. But please remember as you read, no two patients are the same. Many will never develop the uglier symptoms, so don't panic. Plan for the worst, yes, but do hope for the best. My husband was diagnosed three and a half years ago, and had been showing symptoms for a couple of years before that. He is still doing fairly well, is sweet and loving and a pleasure to be around.
When you've recovered from the shock, then start looking into getting all the other legal paperwork in place, if you haven't done that -- Durable Power of Attorney, Advance Healthcare Directive, update your wills or set up a trust. Get your name on all accounts -- checking, savings, investments. Do work with a qualified elder law attorney, to make sure you protect your assets while still giving your husband access to Government support programs. It's a lot trickier since the two of you are so young.
Joan found an excellent booklet, "Financial Steps for Caregivers", which you can download for free:
So sorry you have to go through this. I am going to add one additional thing to Sunshyne's list. If your name isn't on any household bills, get him to put your name on them including any credit cards he may have separate from you.