This blog is about life with my husband who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's and Frontal Lobe Dementia in 2008. He was 64 at the time although now, knowing more about the disease, Alzheimer's was present many, many years ago, which is why early detection is so important. As you read the blog the character "Al" that I created in 2008, represents the way that Alzheimer's is invading our daily lives.
There is an archive tab further down the page that starts from the beginning of our journey.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Living with Bob and Al

Sheri is trying hard to make the right decisions
The surgeon said to wait on the surgery
 to see if the injection they gave Bob will work for his pain
4-6 weeks is a long time
Sheri can't continue to miss work
She needs to decide that transitional care is her only option
The neurologist moved him in to the moderate stage for Alzheimer's now
and agreed fully that he should not be left alone
She knows she has no options,
She thinks it is the fear of the unknown holding her back, or...denial.

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. - Psalms 62:8

3 comments:

  1. I am thinking of you and your family. When mother lived with me she was eligible for some programs that brought in caregivers to my home. Your local Outlook on aging or AARP may have some contacts.

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  2. Hi Sheri... when my mom started to decline and needed people around her 24 x 7, I called our Elder Services office in our area. They helped me so much.

    In Massachusetts where we live there's a program that provides services to help keep the individual out of a nursing facility.

    Like Storykeeper, my mom has a home health aide come every day for an hour to help her clean up and get dressed for bed.

    My mom now goes to an Adult Day Health program 5 days a week. She leaves at 7 am and comes home around 4 or 4:30 - Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, we have another home health aide come in for 3 hours each weekend day to give me more respite. It's amazing.

    Here's the link to what's available in Massachusetts - maybe there's something in your state that is similar? This program saved my life.

    http://www.massresources.org/area_assistance.cfm?pageID=30&MainPage='yes'

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  3. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am just learning about the challenges of caring for a loved one with vascular dementia. Her lack of self awareness of the diagnosis is extremely difficult to deal with and makes helping her nearly impossible.

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