My brother was diagnosed with alzheimers about 2 years ago at age 56. Until receiving this diagnosis he was an orthopedic surgeon. Both he and his wife desperately want to talk with someone who is about the same age as they are(58). My brother is now unable to use the computer and communicating by phone would be difficult. My sister-in-law does not use the computer. I will be sharing all suggestions and support with them. We live in Mobile,Alabama and most of the support groups that we have found involve people much older. I am hoping and praying that I will hear from someone who will help us better understand the road ahead of us and support us along the way. My sister-in-law is an avid reader so if anyone has suggestions for books that are helpful, we would greatly appreciate knowing about them. Thank you.
Sorry to hear about your brother. My husband has EAOD as well. If they would be willing to participate in clinical trials I would suggest going to the following site:
Still Alice (my husband is reading it now and said he can relate to the book). Alzheimers from the inside out - Richard Taylor.
Both of the above books describe the disease from the patients point of view. This may help both understand the changes. PBS will air "The forgetting" on August 3rd at 9:00. It should be worth watching.
If you want I'd be happy to talk to both of them just let me know your email address.
Posts: 153 | Location?: Georgia | Registered: November 06, 2006
Thanks so much for your suggestions. He found out on Friday that he does not qualify for the clinical trial his doctor had recommended. His doctor is in Salt Lake City and was unaware of the extent that the illness had progressed since he last saw him. I will order the books today. My e-mail is sherardh@yahoo.com. When i have your e-mail address I will send you my brother's phone numbers. Thank you so much.
Hi: My husband was diagnosed at 58 years of age four years ago this coming August. He was able to work for two more years until he was 60. He lost his job in May 2006 and has not been able to work since. He was a civil engineer and worked for large international consulting firms in which he oversaw large mult-million dollar projects. He mourns his career. He was very fortunate to be accepted for social security disability which has helped us tremendously since we lost our savings, our home and our retirement savings.
I work two jobs and my husband is home alone. I know he is very lonely and I worry so much about him. The support groups that are available only meet once a month and during the day when I work.
We celebrated our 40 wedding anniversary this year but it was really not a celebration like I thought it would be. Our marriage has changed and I mourn the relationship we used to have.
I have signed up for this chat room because I desparately need support. I believe my husband is going from stage 4 to stage 5. Whenever I think of all our plans we had as we grew older, I start to cry. This is a devastating disease and robs one of their life and everyone else around them.
I cry all the time when I think that I am losing my VERY BEST FRIEND!!!!!
Pixie
Posts: 1 | Location?: Lake Oswego | Registered: July 21, 2008
Pixie, have you been sent the link yet to Joan's site which is strictly for spouses? If not, here it is http://thealzheimerspouse.com/
On the left is Message Boards - I am Mary in Montana - on this site. This other site adds to the great information that you already have found on this site. It is focused towards spouse issues. It also has a daily "blog" from Joan our host.
It is a very good site, Pixie, with lots of nice people (like Mary).
jhaas' sister-in-law might find it very helpful, as well.
There's a thread there, where members can tell us where they live (quite interesting.) I just scanned it quickly ... the only people I saw from Alabama are "Bama" (!) who lives in Cullman, and decblu, who lives just north of Montgomery.
Dear jhaas, Hello and welcome. I'm so sorry about your brother. If you haven't read "campingnana's story "on line here, please read it. I'm not very good with the computer or would cut and paste it here now. It is on the alz under age 65. Hope this helps.
Please, keep in touch and let us know how you and your family are doing.
Dear jhass. My wife,a very young 62 is a stage five. After three to four years of this and visits to reasearch center, I happy to share anything that might help you. You can email me at goldriverjim@msn.com I'll try to help or perhaps you've received plenty already. You must be prepaired to care for yourself as well!
Pixie: My wife has early onset Alz. The hardest thing to get used to (for me) has been this stage 4/5 area where we can no longer discuss things of importance, be they emotional or life in general. It's the nature of the disease. Without my wife being able to fully grasp the situation, it can't be discussed fully. We (people) truly are social animals. I no long try to reason with her. It's best to just keep it simple and unemotional at this point. It's unthinkable, but true. I am blessed in that my Barbara has a sweet disposition and all through this rarely gets angry. Infact she's becoming sweeter all the time making it even harder. I hope your husband is able to be kind to you. I've also found that my wife no longer has the ability to feel compassion. She hasn't a clue as to what it takes to make our life run and no fault of her own. She'll ask why I seem tired and if I tell her she looks at me in disbelief then asks what is it she's not doing. I don't have the heart to tell her anymore. I wish you all the best and say publically: thanks to all you fine people. I've been reading and learning in your conversations. Feel free to email anytime if you stumble onto a bump,would be happy to provide some small measure of support. Email: goldriverjim@msn.com God Bless you all!
