Hello everyone, I've been browsing this site and message board since May, 2008 and this is my first post on this message board or any other. My wife was diagnosed with EOAD about three years ago. She first started showing signs of with memory problems in late 2001. She is now well into stage five and some stage six. She is only 62 (I’m 64 and we’ve been married 44 years). I'm not sure what I want to write about right now. We've been through a lot, the same as many of you.
Hi Jerry. there are many here with EOAD diagnosis. i hope you find time to read up on some of the subjects in past topics. so many discuss early onset. welcome to you and hope you join in any of the 'lively' discussions! Divvi
Welcome to the board, Jerry. Sorry you have need of it. Others will be along to welcome you better than I. My husband is 59 and diagnosed with FTD last year. I'm 50 and we have been married for 30 years.
I read here for a long time before I posted too. Lurking is good, you get a lot of great information. But, writing helped me not feel alone. Its a long hard journey and we help each other survive. I look forward to learning more about you and your wife.
Welcome, Jerry. I hope you've read some of the topics along the "margins" as well as the message board. There's a wealth of info in both places. So sorry you're on the EOAD diagnosis as I think that is more difficult than later. We're all in the basket together to help and encourage one another. My hb has vascular dementia: stroke when he was 48 and mini-strokes since. 72 now.
Welcome Jerry to our "family" . You will find great comfort here, and valuable information to help you and your loved one. My husband was diagnosed with dementia--probable AD, about 3 yrs ago at the age of 57. We have been married almost 32 yrs.
Welcome Jerry! Drop in on the where are you from? thread and let us know where you call home. My husband has FTD; he's 73, I'm 60 and we've been married 30 years this month. You will find much comfort from the people on this board and Joan's site is always full of new information.
Welcome, Jerry, you've come to the right place. I've been on board for about a month and have found it very valuable. So much information and experience.
Welcome Jerry. We are glad to have you. Bet the guys are happy to have another man on the boards. It is always good to hear things/situations from a male perspective.
Welcome, Jerry. Sorry you need to be here. My husband will be 62 in Sept. I will be 60 in Oct. He was diagnosed with Alz a little over a year ago. He is in Stage 4. We live in northwest TN. I have only been here about a month myself and it has been of great comfort to me. Elena
Hi & Welcome Jerry, As others have said, I am sorry for your need to join us, however, I am glad you did. My husband is 59 years old with Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD) his memory started declining about 8 years ago. He is in stage 5-6. We live in Indiana. Feel free to post when you feel comfortable.
Hi Jerry. I'm one of the old timers but it doesn't get any easier. Here we are family. As a newbie to the site you get to wash the dishes after our next cyber party. We go on cyber cruises and party hardy.
Welcome to my website. As he said, Gourdchipper isn't the only guy here. We have quite a few, but they tend to be less verbal than us women. They have expressed themselves well in various threads - they have the same emotional pain as us, and sometimes we get them to talk about it, so they know they are not alone.
The issues we face in dealing with a spouse with this disease are so different from the issues faced by children and grandchildren caregivers. We discuss all of those issues here - loss of intimacy; social contact; conversation; anger; resentment; stress; and pain of living with the stranger that Alzheimer's Disease has put in place of our beloved spouse.
The message boards are only part of this website. Please be sure to log onto the home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com - and read all of the resources on the left side. I recommend starting with "Newly Diagnosed/New Member" and "Understanding the Dementia Experience". There are 3 sections for EOAD members - two of which focus on the young teens whose parents have EOAD (early onset AD). There is a great new section of informative videos. And just in case you need some help with female maintenance (most guys aren't to up on hair styling and mainicures), check out the section on Tips for Male Caregivers. Do not miss the "previous blog" section. It is there you will find a huge array of topics with which you can relate. Log onto the home page daily for new blogs; news updates; important information.