I noticed two new writers - Deana wrote under the Guilt topic, and Blue wrote under the age of caregivers topic, so I would like to officially welcome both of them to our little family.
Deana did not mention ages, but Blue and her husband are in the "Young Onset" category. Blue, below in the 2nd paragraph, I mention resources for Young Onset, including young teens. Since you have a 14 year old at home, you may want to check that out.
Welcome to both of you.
You have come to a place of comfort for spouses/partners who are trying to cope with the Alzheimer's/dementia of their husband/wife/partner. The issues we face in dealing with a spouse/partner 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/partner.
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 4 sections for EOAD members - two of which focus on the young teens whose parents have EOAD (early onset AD). There is a great section on informative videos, and another excellent resource - Early Onset Dementia - A Practical Guide. You can go to the top of this page, click on "search", and type in EOAD, making sure the "topic" circle is filled in. All of the EOAD discussions will come up - there are about a dozen of them.
Do not miss the "previous blog" section. It is there you will find a huge array of topics with which you can relate. There is a "search" feature on the home page that allows you to look up different topics that may have been explored in a previous blog. Log onto the home page daily for new blogs; news updates; important information.
I have read so much from your site. So much good information. I can not thank you enough. It has been hard, but with the help of everyone here I have been able to cope so well with what I have faced so far.
Just a little background, for the last two years things had gotten so bad between myself and DH that I was thinking of divorce. He was always so mad at me. Over such little things. His boss at work was the one who sent him to the doctor. No way was DH going for me. As soon as the doctor told us what we were facing, it all fell into place. I am no longer mad at DH and he is no longer mad at me. Life is better for that reason and we are getting along much better now. He is now retired and I am taking care of him. He seems to be dealing with this well, so far. I think the stress of trying to work and keep up at home was just to much for him. Giving up the job was hard, but letting go of the stress was what he needed.
So glad you all were here for me. Hugs to my new family
Welcome Blue, and feel free to ask us anything! Remember, there will come a day he will forget what the doctor told both of you!
Welcome to Deana, also!
We all try to be there for each other. Some of us post daily, some every few days, some more on a weekly basis, and some post only when they need help or have advice for one particular problem.
We're holding the door open wide to welcome you to this special "family" group. Glad you've joined us, but as always, sad you *need* to. There has been more help here than anyplace else I've found!
A great big welcome to Deana and Blue. You have landed in a very soft place, but so sorry you need to be here. You will receive so much help, comfort, hugs and much more!
Welcome Deana and Blue. You couldnt have found a better place to be. I've learned more from here than I ever could from reading anything. Anything you want to know, post on here and several will be sure and come along with an answer for you.
Welcome to Deana & Blue! I'm fairly new too but there is a wealth of info here. You will soon be reading posts & saying to yourself,"Wow! So it's not just my spouse that does that!" There are so many similar actions that people with AZ go through. When you read about them it makes you realize that you aren't going crazy!