Thank you to each and every one of you who post in this forum. I have been reading this forum for a couple of years and it has given me so much information and guidance on how to cope with this very cruel disease.
My lovely Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in July last year. I was in denial at that time hoping against hope that it was a side effect from her medication, or that it was because her B12 levels were wrong or her levothyroxine was at the wrong dose... anything but dementia. It took a long time to sink in but eventually it did. Looking back she had been showing obvious signs for many years, but that's hindsight for you!
For the last 2 years she has been living with me and my partner, me as her full time carer and my lovely partner as my rock, who has kept me sane through it all.
I thought that I could care for her as long as I possibly could but it became clear to me that I could no longer keep her safe. She never wandered but she became so unsteady on her feet that I was in a constant state of panic in case she fell and she did many times. Luckily she is pretty tough even though she is tiny, but I was living on my nerves in case she really hurt herself.
She always said to me she never wanted to go into a care home, she had said that to me on occasion throughout her life, so it was a very hard decision to make. But after weighing it all up we came to the decision that she would benefit from having more stimulation and care than I could ever give her.
She constantly said to me that she wanted to go home, and I realise that is common and I also realise that I do not really know what she means by home, but I do know that she moved from Swansea to Hampshire when she was in her 40s (she is now 85) and she still considers Swansea to be her home.
She is constantly asking about her mother and asking to be taken back home, so I was a little worried (well a lot) that if we took her back then she would expect to see her mother.
Anyhow, we found a lovely residential home for her in Swansea, telling her we were going on holiday. We took her down on Monday (5th Oct) and after the first unsettled night she has blossomed. I thought she would take at least a couple of weeks but she has settled in exceptionally well already.
I have left out quite a lot of details about the two years that she was with us, suffice to say that I knew it was time for us to let her be cared for by professionals rather than us who were just muddling through making it up as we went along.
Anyhoo sorry for my ramblings. But I really mean it when I say say thank you so much, this forum has been my lifeline at times and I hope I can help and contribute to it in the future.
My lovely Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in July last year. I was in denial at that time hoping against hope that it was a side effect from her medication, or that it was because her B12 levels were wrong or her levothyroxine was at the wrong dose... anything but dementia. It took a long time to sink in but eventually it did. Looking back she had been showing obvious signs for many years, but that's hindsight for you!
For the last 2 years she has been living with me and my partner, me as her full time carer and my lovely partner as my rock, who has kept me sane through it all.
I thought that I could care for her as long as I possibly could but it became clear to me that I could no longer keep her safe. She never wandered but she became so unsteady on her feet that I was in a constant state of panic in case she fell and she did many times. Luckily she is pretty tough even though she is tiny, but I was living on my nerves in case she really hurt herself.
She always said to me she never wanted to go into a care home, she had said that to me on occasion throughout her life, so it was a very hard decision to make. But after weighing it all up we came to the decision that she would benefit from having more stimulation and care than I could ever give her.
She constantly said to me that she wanted to go home, and I realise that is common and I also realise that I do not really know what she means by home, but I do know that she moved from Swansea to Hampshire when she was in her 40s (she is now 85) and she still considers Swansea to be her home.
She is constantly asking about her mother and asking to be taken back home, so I was a little worried (well a lot) that if we took her back then she would expect to see her mother.
Anyhow, we found a lovely residential home for her in Swansea, telling her we were going on holiday. We took her down on Monday (5th Oct) and after the first unsettled night she has blossomed. I thought she would take at least a couple of weeks but she has settled in exceptionally well already.
I have left out quite a lot of details about the two years that she was with us, suffice to say that I knew it was time for us to let her be cared for by professionals rather than us who were just muddling through making it up as we went along.
Anyhoo sorry for my ramblings. But I really mean it when I say say thank you so much, this forum has been my lifeline at times and I hope I can help and contribute to it in the future.