Home » Member Profile

Member Profile

Member Stats
1 Likes
4 Helpful Answers
8 Answers
1 Comments

judy (barthas)
Age: 68
Gender: Female

I am caring for my mother, eleanor, who is 96 years old, living at home and the primary ailment is alzheimer's / dementia.

Wall PostsActivity

Post a message for barthas (5000 characters left)
Include A Hug

AgingCareTeam gave a hug 11/1/2010 at 1:36 pm

Happy National Family Caregivers Month!

National Family Caregivers month is about honoring yourself as one of the 65 million family caregivers in this country who take care of their loved o ...Read More

Like this (0) | Give a hug

djnorris commented 9/20/2010 at 3:42 pm

Thank you for the suggestion of leaving mother a note about when I leave, when I'll come in and I do leave a phone number. Thanks, again. :)

Like this (0) | Give a hug

View

Answered a question 10/13/2010 at 4:59 pm

If a parent won't give you consent to speak with their physician, can you get around the Privacy Act to speak to them?

Send a list of questions to the doctor ahead of time. Ask him/her to answer the questions in front of your parent. If you do not want the parent to know that you send the list, be sure to tell the d ...Read More

Answered a question 9/20/2010 at 3:26 pm

My 83-year-old mother is becoming obessed with a few things. She does has some dementia and a bad memory. Is this part of dementia?

I have found the best thing to do is put everything in writing. Make up a schedule and have a clock she can easily see.
When you are going out, write a note of what time you left, what time yo ...Read More

Answered a question 1/7/2010 at 9:54 am

Is it alright for my 84-year-old mother with Alzheimer's Disease to sleep twenty hours a day?

Be careful that she does not dehydrate or not eat. Ensure is wonderful, but she needs 2 glasses a day for liquid and norishment.

Answered a question 11/25/2009 at 2:19 pm

My mother-in-law has dementia and seems unaware of her incontinence. How can I get her to wear Depends?

1. take all of her underpants away, put the depends in the same place as the underpants were. Also put some depends near the toilet.
2. tell her the doctor told her that she has to use the depen ...Read More

Answered a question 10/26/2009 at 11:32 am

My elderly father steals from me. He is driving my finance and I apart, what can I do about it?

time to re-group. First, you have to establish who is the boss. If you are going to allow your father to be the boss, then so be it. If not, you have to put your foot DOWN and let him know what is ...Read More

Answered a question 10/19/2009 at 5:25 pm

My husband has Alzheimer's. When he asks about his mother and I tell him she has died he starts crying. Should I lie to him?

i find that changing the subject works. Ask him about the time that she .... or the fact that it is raining outside. Just about anything. The questions still keep coming, but it gets to be a game.

Answered a question 7/2/2009 at 11:02 am

Are there any social security benefits available to caregivers of elderly parents to help with their out of pocket expenses?

It is state dependent, Massachusetts has a program for anyone who qualifies for Medicaid.
Be careful about "getting paid" for your services, social security may require you to pay taxes.

Answered a question 7/2/2009 at 10:59 am

I got accepted into graduate school but I also take care of my father in law with Parkinson disease. Should I not attend grad school this fall to care for him?

If you have the resources to take your father-in-law to daycare during the day and/or have an aide come to help you, I think it is important that you go to school. One of the biggest mistakes for car ...Read More

Commented on a discussion 6/25/2009 at 12:13 pm

I am my mom's caregiver and get no help from my sibling, even though she is my mom's favorite.

Think about it this way, you are the lucky one who is able to spend more time with your Mother. It is your sister who is going to regret it later on. It is not easy to think this way when you are re ...Read More

Recent Community Activity

Mom keeps going to the bank and withdrawing money and then forgetting about it. Is there anything I can do…
Answered 5 mins ago by pag237

Grossed Out? Need to Vent? Just caught Mom using my toothbrush to comb her hair!
Comment 9 mins ago by linda09

The Caregiver....How are YOU doing today?
Comment 28 mins ago by rossellamex

Mom is in a nursing home for dementia/cancer. Hospice says she can't go home without 24 hour care, which…
Answered 2 hrs ago by tinamaria99

What is the cause of red drooping bags under the eyes?
Asked 2 hrs ago by wchoi2