Bi-Polar and Dementia too!

[Nuala's mom]

Hi, all. I am currently caring for my 71 yr old husband. He is Bi-polar 1 and is now in stage 6 of dementia. Luckily for me the meds he is on for Bi-polar are working well and he is not experiencing manic episodes. However, he is very agreeable and usually cooperative. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop because the doctors are not sure if it is Alzheimer's or FTD with Aphasia. He is hard to understand and it is difficult to figure out what he is saying. He is currently using Depends and swallow tests show that he can aspirate liquids if he takes two swallows at a time. So we are working on that.
It seems that he has really drawn the short straw having Bi-polar episodes from his teens on the his late 60s and now has dementia.

 

[Louise7]

Hello @Nuala's mom and welcome to the Dementia Support Forum. Sorry to hear that you are currently waiting for an accurate diagnosis for your husband, it can take some time but it's good that the doctors are looking into this. This is a friendly and supportive place with a lot of shared experience so do keep posting for support, to ask advice, or just to vent if you need too, people here understand.

 

[Izzy]

Welcome from me too @Nuala's mom.

I’m sorry to hear about your dad. It must be doubly hard for your dad, and for you, to deal with dementia on to of him being bi-polar.

I’m glad you’ve found this forum. You’ll find understanding and support here.