I am very pleased to find this web site and read all the comments from such nice people.I live in Australia and was suprised to read that in US you are required to pay for your Pet Scans, whereas here we have it paid by Medicare. My DH is almost six years post diagnosis, and with him the changes have been fairly slow. He contracted visional agnosia with the AZ, which has made everything so much harder for us as he is nearly blind now.He has stopped taking Namenda as it didn't seem to be making any difference to him, he doesn't have any challenging behavior.For the last six months he has needed help to dress, his shower water prepared for him and his food cut up which he eats with a dessert spoon, his eating is a bit erratic which deters me from eating out with him these days. It is lovely to read everyone's experiences and can relate to so many of them. Hugs to all carers
Welcome Sylvia! australia - lovely place. glad you found this forum, so many good folks here ready to hold your hand or cry with you or laugh as needed. which we need alot in this disease. lots of subjects, and lots of handson advice, help and general handholding from many who have walked the walk and talk the talk! hope you find ease in joining any of the discussions. we have caregivers here in their 40-? here. no age limits for sure! divvi/Texas
Welcome aboard, Sylvia. This is a terrific place to learn, to share, to laugh with those who 'get it' like you do, and to realize you're not alone. I'm just turning 64, so 71 is not that old to me!! Almost made it to Australia and NZ this fall, but had to cancel the trip when it became obvious that such a long trip (we're in NY) would be too difficult for my wife. Try to find the time to check out the entire site, not just the message boards. Lots of information here!!
Welcome Sylvia. Sorry you have the need to be here but glad you found us. I also am 71, my husband is 82 and was Dx'd a little over 3 years ago but had symptoms long before I knew anything about AD! I never thought of anything like this happening but here we are and I am so glad Joan started this site.
Hi & Welcome Sylvia, I am sorry for your need for this forum, however, I am so glad you found us. Their are wonderful people here, willing to help at almost anytime of the day.
Also another new member, Maria1528. She posted recently on the Cursing thread. Welcome Maria, As I mentioned previously, their are wonderful spouses here that are always willing to help.
Welcome to my website. 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.There is a wealth of information there. 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. Use the search button to find any topic that interests you.
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.
Sylvia, welcome to this site. It has been a great help to me. Lots of wonderful people. Several years ago my wife and I made a trip to Australia - I had a meeting in Sydney - then toured the outback (Alice Spring, Ayres Rock) and the Great Barrier Reef. Then onto New Zealand. A really great trip, meeting lots of nice people.
Also, I am one caregiver older than you. I am 79, my wife is 80, diagnosed about 6 years ago (Time flies when you're having fun!!!!)
Hi Sylvia, You have lots of company in the 70 age group..me for one. I wanted to visit Australia for years, but time ran out..my SIL is with Nike tennis and spends much time in Melbourne for the tennis open...and he loves it. Happy to have you join our group.
Welcome Sylvia...Bama checking in and I am older than dirt but I have a young attitude most of the time. I am 82 and DH will be 88 next month and he is still at home. We are happy to have you join our group and we hope we can be helpful to you.
Sylvia, a Canadian welcome from me. I'm not as old as Bama - she is my role model - but at age 80, almost. My husband will be 91 in Dec. How old is yours?
Welcome Sylvia! A Southern California welcome! Sorry you're here, but you will find it very comforting. I'm a somewhat younger caregivier, just turned 55, DH is 65 moderate to severe stage, but still at home. I know you'll find these wise men and women here helpful. Welcome!
Sylvia, Welcome to the "family". Sorry you have to be here, but in our situation this is a good place to be. Come back when you want to share your good times & bad. WE understand & at least one or more of us have been there done that.
Sylvia, welcome. I am 62 my husband is 70. We have been on this journey just over 3 years and he is in a nursing facility in stage 7. All of the "older" caregivers are my heros. I can't imagine doing this if I was 10 or 20 years older, but my heart breaks for those younger, they shouldn't have to deal with this in what should be their prime of life. In fact, none of us should have to deal with it. Wish we could just make it go away.
Welcome from Holland. Am I still the only continental EUropean here? Actually I am American, married to a Dutchman who is stage 6. I like to say I am still in my 60s (not much longer though). Never been to Australia.
Thank you all for your welcome, I'm so pleased to have accidently found this web site whilst "fiddling around" on my best friend ,the computer.You will probably find me around at the various pages, as I am nearly housebound with DH and this is a life saver for me now. Dh is 71
Sylvia, welcome to my world! What a coincidence, I consider the computer my best friend too! I know that I am definitely on it toooooooo much. Even though I know that I need to do things around here I just don't get to them like I should. I also think this site is a life saver & so do a lot of other people!
Hi Sylvia, I am glad that you found us. I think I must be one of the youngest ones here. I am only 53 but my husband is 72. He is having a lot of the problems that you talked about. I just read Joan's blog for today and it is such a good description of my DH and probably most of our spouses. Just a side point that I noticed, I have a friend in New Zealand who told me the same thing about medicare covering the expenses that the United States doesn't. From what she told me I would say that New Zealand and Austrailia take care of their elderly so much better.
Hi Sylvia, welcome to the site. You will find a lot of information and support here. I will be 52 later this month and my husband (who has FTD) is 61. He was diagnosed 2 years ago.
A big Howdy from the Heart of Texas. So glad you found us. One of the especially good parts about this site is: This support group is always in session. No matter, day or night...and everyone is a hands on expert. Besides, we hold each others hands through the scary parts of being an AD spouse.
Grannywhiskers, I never thought about the fact that this support group is here 24/7. Wonder what people will say when they ask if I go to a support group & I tell them , Sure, anytime I want!