Hello.
I joined TP just over a week ago and what a blessing it was to find this place I came across it few months ago while looking for somewhere to talk to other people but didn't bookmark it at the time and forgot about it completly until recently.
I have been thinking about starting my own thread since the day I joined but whenever i try to write the post so many thoughts come at once and trying to tidy them up to make some sort of semi readable post is taking ages. So I decided to do it in stages and edit if necessary.
I help with looking after my now 101 friend. She has been diagnosed with vascular dementia about 4 years ago. She has no close relatives apart from a 90 year old cousin who lives some distance away and 88yo second cousin who visits occasionally. So 3 of her friends do most of the organising and helping with whatever we can help.
I moved in with her just over a year ago as she was getting more and more anxious about being home on her own at night and on few occasions bolted the front door in the evenings and no one could get in in the morning. She has carers coming morning and lunchtime every day and teatime/ evening 2 days a week, which i have off ( at least in theory- in practice it doesn't always work).
I would say she is still in early stages of this disease and communication is not a major problem at this time, her short term memory is pretty much non existent most of the time and increasing anxiety seems to be the major problem. She is still mobile, although frail and scared of falling so she walks with a frame but likes to have someone in the room when she does.
Think I'll just post this and continue in case i delete it accidentaly
I joined TP just over a week ago and what a blessing it was to find this place I came across it few months ago while looking for somewhere to talk to other people but didn't bookmark it at the time and forgot about it completly until recently.
I have been thinking about starting my own thread since the day I joined but whenever i try to write the post so many thoughts come at once and trying to tidy them up to make some sort of semi readable post is taking ages. So I decided to do it in stages and edit if necessary.
I help with looking after my now 101 friend. She has been diagnosed with vascular dementia about 4 years ago. She has no close relatives apart from a 90 year old cousin who lives some distance away and 88yo second cousin who visits occasionally. So 3 of her friends do most of the organising and helping with whatever we can help.
I moved in with her just over a year ago as she was getting more and more anxious about being home on her own at night and on few occasions bolted the front door in the evenings and no one could get in in the morning. She has carers coming morning and lunchtime every day and teatime/ evening 2 days a week, which i have off ( at least in theory- in practice it doesn't always work).
I would say she is still in early stages of this disease and communication is not a major problem at this time, her short term memory is pretty much non existent most of the time and increasing anxiety seems to be the major problem. She is still mobile, although frail and scared of falling so she walks with a frame but likes to have someone in the room when she does.
Think I'll just post this and continue in case i delete it accidentaly