Early Onset Alzheimer's -

My husband was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease at age 59 and I’m sharing what it means to be a full-time caregiver for someone with this cruel disease.

 

It’s the middle of August 2023 and my husband has been living in an Alzheimer’s care community for almost 4 months now. I can’t count the number of times I’ve questioned my decision to move him. If anything, But, thankfully, I listened to several around me, and got him settled in before he was in the more advanced stages of early onset dementia. In the last 2 weeks, his disease has taken a turn and he has become much more agitated and restless, not wanting to sit down for the staff at the home. He has to be prompted to eat and have someone with him to make sure he takes those first bites. He started sprinting in the hallways, knocked another male resident down, and then Saturday evening, he tore the fire alarm off the wall, causing the alarm to go off and the fire department had to come turn it off.

He was sent to the ER Saturday evening when the staff could not calm him down, then again on Sunday morning, when he complained of chest pains.

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