Hi..name is Linda....husband is at home and in level 6 of dementia...needs assistance dressing, eating {hand tremors}, toileting {not yet incontinent}, 95 percent unable to communicate thoughts, is still mobile, has dysphagia {only soft, non textured foods}, very confused/fearful and insecure.....he is my shadow around the house, not wanting me out of his sight....has his meds from the VA to combat agitation and of course the progress of dementia....would love to hear from others to share this terrible road we are on, and also about your site and its mechanisms...thank you
Hi Linda, Welcome to this very supportive group. I hope you find the help and support that I have found on this webpage. Besides sharing a very similar log-on name (I'm Lindylou), I have a partner who has just started the seventh stage of dementia within the last several months. No longer independently walking, needs to be fed, and is incontinent unless toileted frequently. Thus far I have managed to care for her at home with the help of the PACE program. Its a horrendous journey we are on. But you will find people here who "really get it". There are others who are involved with the VA and the may have information that is helpful. In addition there will be people logging on to tell you how to navigate the page. Also some of the "stickies" can be helpful to explain things.
welcome lindalou. You have come to the right spot. As others will tell you, there are great blogs Joan (the creator of this site) listed on the home page. Then as you have probably found, there are many thread (over a thousand I think). If you are looking for something specific there is the search option. I find it easier to find using the advanced search.
We always have a thread going for the month it is. There are others too and if you have questions you can't find answers to, then start a new one like you did here.
My husband has his medical through the VA. The VA pays for his day care and I have been approved for 30 days of respite - 6 hours for each day which I have not used yet. Tuesday I received a call from the VA pallative care nurse explaining what is available through them and am waiting for the social worker to call so I can be ready and know how to proceed when more care is needed. If you have not talked with pallative care, I encourage you to do so. I also had my yearly meeting with my case manager at Aging and Long Term Care.