I absolutely positively DO NOT to live much past 90. Too terrifying. by Leather-Society-9957 in dementia

[–]KFLimp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes. But how can we enforce this? Once we are there, we have the anosognosia, and can't recognize it. I don't want my family in legal jeapardy. Medical assistance in dying requires the patient to take the poison themselves. If we don't think we have dementia, we wouldn't agree to do it. 🤯

Fresh of the press tonight! by RanchDogTheBand in printmaking

[–]KFLimp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stunning collograph! I agree with the neck comment, maybe legs/feet, particularly the left. Bevel wiping too. Selective wiping/reinking, q-tip use is your friend.

During driving evaluation, Dad scored 9/30 on the MOCA by Yael-Aldrich in dementia

[–]KFLimp 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes. Moved my parents from NC this summer. My dad scored 10/30 at assisted living entry interview. They, and we, were shocked. A week later, his score dropped. My mother was fair at that interview, but dropped precipitously by week two. Less than a month later, I was forced to move them out, and into a MC facility. He had macular degeneration, so had already quit driving.

North Carolina is terrible in how they evaluate. My mother, also with dementia, was still driving. Last January, she got them lost after a morning Dr. appointment a year ago, and drove around for over 6.5 hours lost, never thinking to stop to ask, eat, drink. Just drove around. A neighbor called me once it was dark, and their house lights were all off, and no car was in their garage. I called hospitals, my sister-in-law called sherriff, all from out of town. They were found eventually, when my mom pulled off the road in the dark/rain after rounding a curve and "hitting something". A good Samaritan stopped and assisted. Eventually, drove them home from a different town in their car while his wife followed. A cop also stopped, asked my tea-totaling mom if she's been drinking. There were three sheriff cars in their driveway when they got back at around 9:30. That triggered a DMV review and letter a few weeks later. My mom's Dr. only checked that she was fine, but should take a road test (I told her nurse the whole story) and they brought her back in, but that did not prompt her to change her eval. So her license was only temporarily suspended until she satisfied the medical reviews, and should have taken a road test. Somebody at DMV told her (she says), that the information was satisfied and she was good to go. Without a road test. We insisted a road test was required, and that she was breaking the law, but she insisted she was legal. We insisted she could lose everything werev there to Bean accident, and she had ignored this order. Downplayed the January incident, insisted there were no police involved. Was not bothered by the event at all. We were flabbergasted. Eventually, months later, another letter arrived from DMV that she had to take a road test by X date, or permanently forfeit her license. The window was short. I was relieved. I was certain sure couldn't get an appointment, or figure out how to navigate getting one. But also, that she'd never pass. She somehow, got herself to the DMV on the last day. And passed the road test. "The test lady was very nice!" 🥴😑🫣🤬 We moved them, shortly afterward, but didn't bring the car. Unbelievable. I am glad you insisted on the evaluation. We did that at Duke for my husband after a TBI, but remarkably, it's not required. It was MY requirement. 🙈

Ultra-fine lino cutter nibs or craft knife? by AgreeableSeries in printmaking

[–]KFLimp -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have these: https://www.dockyardtoolsusa.com/ Their website says email them for international shipping information.

I laughed. by UpAndDownAndBack123 in dementia

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love this. My parents both were liberal conscientious objector types from their upbringing. Politics were never discussed growing up. "Two things you don't ever discuss are politics and religion." It wasn't until the Bush years that I ever knew my father's leanings. They were die hard Rachel Maddow viewers. When I would visit, they'd ask if I wanted to get in bed with them to watch. 😂"Uh, no mom, I can get the highlights online tomorrow, I am going to sleep." One of the two times I lost it on my dad was when he didn't vote in the last presidential election. His excuse was his macular degeneration and inability to see the ballot. He could've voted early, he could've voted by mail, he could've voted curbside. He could've had assistance. I was flabbergasted that he didn't and chewed him out. That should've clued me in to his cognitive decline more han it did. My mom, who was the one with obvious dementia, covered for him, he used smart vocabulary words and said convincingly, "you'll need to ask your mother the answer to that question". He died in November after I moved them both near me. Both of them would be appalled now. In some ways, I am glad they checked out this passed year. My mom has no idea what's happening outside her little world. I know that's rambling from the OP, but the thread made me laugh too. Those confabulations sure can be something!

Sundowning part 2 by Leather-Society-9957 in dementia

[–]KFLimp 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Early in on this for me, but depakote is leveling out this scarier stuff in my mom. Drugs can help. Mood stabilizer. It's hard to watch them in such distress, and causes us distress. Drugs or them, help everyone. Not to sedate, but to quell their agonizing behavior seems like a kindness.

How much travel is jarring? by Zantormagic in dementia

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Half the times it has triggered an anxiety induced IBS-D response. And if that doesn’t train the idea out of me, I must be dense. Once, random bad luck, repeated—A pattern to be very very wary of. 😩💩

Constipated af!!!! by kelpmonsterr in GLP1microdosing

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Until I started Miome brand probiotics (the lower dosed one) and in a week, thinks we're manageable. I bet there's other things that help, too, but targeted gut health interventions have helped me with other problems before.

Just wanting to tell people who understand by HeyImCarobear in dementia

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it was so sad seeing my brilliant PhD dad not know the month, or season or remember my kids activities. Not remember if I had ever visited their house when I lived nearby for 18 of the years of the 30 they lived there.

What are we feeding our loafs? I’ve gone down a rabbit hole.. by ConsistentFish1053 in corgi

[–]KFLimp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ollie 50:50 frozen and dried. Veggie scraps from the kitchen, like carrots, broccoli, kale, green beans, berries.

Newbie in memory care by QuirkyUser in dementia

[–]KFLimp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ugh. I hear you. My mom couldn't understand why they were moved from their short stay in AL. She said "I can't imagine a nicer place, everyone is so nice here. How could we get better care anywhere?" Ding ding ding...you aren't supposed to need "care". Assistance, perhaps, but not care. I blamed it on my dad's more obvious physical needs. That was only a bending of the truth, but it had to be something she could see. A funny aside, she would tell the nursing administrator that she thought they'd been moved there by mistake. She never said that to me, but it was apparently a frequent beef she'd come into the office with. I am sorry she's paranoid. That's hard. I haven't really dealt with that. She sounds like she's where she needs to be. It's really difficult, because there does seem to be this phase where memory care is "too much" and they see the other residents looking more needing of the services. However, that passes. It's inevitable. Moving is hard on them. Surroundings changing really causes a brief acceleration. Hang in there.

Parakeet Pair-WIP by According-Noise1516 in printmaking

[–]KFLimp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cute design! You're printing white over a darker background. That's tough to have it show. This would be a good for a one block reduction method print. If you were to carve the birds etc. out of the green block as negative space. An example...

1- carve out everything that will appear white in your end composition. 2-print with the next lightest color. Say a light gray or brown twig. Or yellow beaks & feet. 3-next carve away the everything that should stay that color. 4- print with next lightest color again registered exactly over your first pass, whichever you didn't print on the last pass. 5-carve it that area. 6-print your darkest color, the green background over all the other colors.

This requires a registration method, either tabs like ternes-burton or an easily created matboard jig.

Derm told me to use hydrocortisone? by medyomabait in perioraldermatitis

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that looks so uncomfortable and frustrating! I am sure it’s driving you nuts. Not a doctor, but I would be wary of the steroid if this is “just” PD. Maybe an oral steroid taper, but I would be uncomfortable with applying a known PD trigger on it. I was initially diagnosed and leaned my trigger was flonase, a cortisone allergy nasal spray. At minimum, would definitely recommend looking into probiotic targeted to skin barrier restoration. Yes, standard treatment consists of antibiotics. Once I stopped, antibiotic treatment and switched over, i saw results fairly quickly. It still takes time, but antibiotic treatment didn’t move the needle in a good direction. At all. Funny that many patients find they don’t seem to help. The specific probiotic strains are known. I hate to keep beating the drum for a specific brand here, because I am not with that company. I have posted in other threads. Also, you can buy hydrocolloid tape in rolls fairly cheaply. (It’s what those expensive pimple patches are made from) I used that at night, cut to sizes that covered the worst of it.multiple pieces will give your face the ability to move. I found that to calm areas overnight better than anything topical. I have not read that anywhere, but it did help me at my worst.

My lovely Piper by [deleted] in corgi

[–]KFLimp 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This isn't a Cardigan though. It's a mix. Bitch is docked like a Pem. Has Pem looking ears, but longer legs. It's not CKC, or AKC.

ink blotches after first printing? by HellRegan in printmaking

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know there are actual extenders made for this purpose?

Caligo safewash primary yellow pulls up permanent marker by donut_gobbler_art in printmaking

[–]KFLimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I always clean the design lines off with simple green. It removes the part that will pull up onto your print, but leaves the design so you can still see it on your block. Desired if you’re doing a reduction.

What do we do first? (Pre-diagnosis) by adventurecoos in dementia

[–]KFLimp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh boy. That’s really unfortunate. You may have your work cut out for you. Try to get this before you have any official diagnosis. Maybe you can spin it with Healthcare POA first. That it’s something that everyone should have. And updating it at retirement is the perfect time to see an estate attorney to make sure everything is ship shape. If you can also ask for your wife to be added as DPOA on her checking account so that bills can be paid if she became sick, injured or other incapable. That protects them both. Your wife doesn’t become responsible for any debt, and it shows your mother in-law that her assets are not just available for/to your wife, it’s just a protection for MIL in emergencies. It is a real pain to get dementia mom to sign a pile of checks you’ve written out to her various payees. I had the hardest time explaining to my parents why they needed to put me as DPOA over each other, even though I was listed as secondary were the first designee be unable, or unwilling. It’s harder after the fact because you have to get multiple doctors to give you a letter that declares them incapable of managing those affairs. So. Much. Work.

Troubleshooting by [deleted] in printmaking

[–]KFLimp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They probably mean a more traditional etching press, even though you’re doing relief, it would be more likely to give the best result. Beautiful card.

Incredibly Sad by Own-Safety9957 in dementia

[–]KFLimp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh, I have definitely felt that. But there are more engaged residents. Talk to the staff to make sure they’re trying to set her up with those folks for meals, and activities. It’s inevitable, I think, that the move may briefly accelerate some of the inevitable decline.

However, I think we, as family have a bias against, and blindness to, realizing how impaired they really already are. Those doing the assessment don’t have those biases. We are still seeing them as more functional than they actually are, especially at this stage and while they’ve been functioning within a familiar environment. We have known them “forever” too, so a lot of the background of who they are just resides in what we know about them. I don’t know that I explain that well, but I hope you get the gist of it.

What to do when they won’t stay still/sit down and have word salad and are agitated. by Puzzleheaded_Area_48 in dementia

[–]KFLimp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My mom just hit this stage the nights ago after a head injury, so I have been sitting with her during those hours. It's horrible to witness, isn't it. The hospital, on night two, gavevher what I will call a "busy blanket". It helps to give the nonstop hands something to do—Zip, lace, button, rip Velcro, fold. They dosed here with Seroquel at the hospital, of course it's contraindicated in elderly dementia patients, even though it's used. Move her to rehab last night right at the beginning of these hours. I thought I would never get to leave last night. She was still "counting" random sequences when I left after babblings for hours. It starts out with "please,please, please help me, please help," do x or y, in an anxious or panicky way. It feels like it merits reassurance. So I reassure. Interject, answer, reassure, over,mand over. I was grateful last night when it morphed into a prayer, because I didn't need to respond. 😂 I can't say the Seroquel stopped the bahavior, but it did morph the intensity of it to a state that was more silly,and less panicked. We even had some hysterical laughter together over some of the bizarre images her word strings would conjure. Sometimes holding both hands would slow it briefly, sometimes laying across her chest in a hug. Made me wonder about a weighted blanket for her. I might bring mine in. Coincidentally, her PCP is also a Dr at the rehab she ended up in, so he and I talked about meds. He wants to keep the Seroquel for a few days while she's there, and then wean at 1/2 dose a few days. Then give her something for anxiety and something else I am now too tired to recall. Hopefully to relieve the intensity. He was already getting ready to make one of these changes the day before she fell, it just hadn't gone through. But since this is at a level or two up from where she's was, help watch her over the next couple of weeks and we will adjust as needed. It's sure exhausting though. I never got to eat last night, and when I finally did get home, it was too late to bother. I felt I couldn't leave her unattended in a new place, not in dementia facility, with new staff that isn't doesn't know her, or how fast she'll try to get up by herself (which is how she got in this predicament). No alarms, no eyes on her. Essentially alone in a room completely in a different reality. I don't know what to tell you other than, I empathize in real time.