This is eye-opening for me!! Thankful that I found this site, as you all give me great advice and make me feel like I'm not a bad caretaker. I look after my 95 yr old aunt who is living in a SNF since last week. She had been in a AL, but I realized she needed more care, so I moved her. There is no one else to do it (my sibs and parents gone). She is completely in denial about her declining abilities, and especially that she can't walk anymore. She keeps screaming at me that she CAN and when she tries to get up, I try to reach for the call button on her bed and she slaps at me and then angrily says "forget it"! When she says she wants to go home, sometimes it's the home from the 1950's, or it's the home from 2 years ago. Always asks about her dog (died 10 years ago). I go home upset and drained. I know she's safe and getting great care, but I dread visiting. My husband and I each go once/week just to split it up. Finally, though, this term Anosognosia, is very enlightening for me, and I'll discuss with her dr.
Big thanks to all of you!!

where do you find responses to your questions. All I find are the problems and you can compare them, but is there a section I am missing that kind of addresses the issues and gives some kind of solution?

Jesse Belle...I love this forum. Light bulb went of when you mentioned the chairs. Now I know it is like my husband insisting that I told a particular person that he has Alzheimers...so now I know there is no point of correcting him as he will never believe it. thanks...I know I am not alone now.

FlorimondFeb 2020 she hit my issue right on the nail.
We must have the same husband,, did she find any solution?

This perfectly describes my mother. We brought her and my dad to live with us, from the other side of the country, because her deficits and combativeness just about killed my father, who is 88 and frail. He was down twenty pounds, falling, and confused. She did not understand that they were coming long-term, and she is desperate to go home and return to their old life with no outside assistance. If we take them home, Dad won't survive. If we allude to their need for help, she becomes very angry as she truly believes she's the person she was ten years ago. We really don't know the next steps to take.

This is my mother who is 95 in her head she cooks cleans and does everything for herself , she has been like this for years , she don't know what day of the week it is. She think she controls all her finance but she doesn't . Most of the time she is asleep, has no interest in anything and sits with the remote and just changes the channel .

It’s strange. My mother has always denied reality, refused to admit ever being wrong ( or” failure “which illness is to her) and lied ( Ie I grew up being told a great great uncle’s successful business was my great grandfather’s, that my grandmother had violet eyes, they were brown etc. big lies, littles lies just nothing BUT lies lol)so it’s difficult to tell for me which is which with her. But it’s interesting to hear it can be part of the illness. In her case it would have had to have been lifelong but...

My husband could be the poster boy for anasognosia. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 3-4 years ago. His personality remains intact but his short term memory is gone. To me that is the worst part of our current situation. He wants to drive, make repairs around the house, cook a meal, shop. He is incapable of doing these things.

I try to provide opportunities for my husband to feel like a responsible adult. However, those opportunities are diminishing. Nevertheless, he continues to believe he is fine. If I make any reference to his memory, he curses at me. I feel like I am watching a toddler.

I know about the services in my community but my husband refuses to acknowledge any of them. All I’ve been able to do is conspire with my cleaning lady to come twice a week to give me a break, but since my husband constantly asks me questions and shadows me, I can’t leave the house without him.

Just found this link - a huge thank you!

Doctor just confirmed Anosognosia for sibling last week. I knew there was this lack of awareness but now it makes sense. No wonder the explanations, examples & common sense have not worked! Her brain really can't see the lack of hygiene, the lack of nutrition, the falls etc add up to not being able to care for herself.

Well, it's on the Doctor's file now. So at some point (when she really cannot cope) she will meet the medical system & her capacity will be tested. Then a proper care plan can be established.

So glad I found this information. My husband of over 50years has FTD. He is in a Memory Care Unit, where he is safe. Every phone call (and there are a lot) is about come get me, I want to come home, etc. which is understandable. But he does not know/understand that he has Dementia. He said he had heard of it, but he did not have it. I am so thankful to know about this Anosognosia condition! The majority of things I have learned have been from sites like this. Now it makes sense. Thank you!

Jessibella, your mom sounded like my late mom. We kept reminding her "use your walker" and she said "I don’t need it." Also, one night she thought we were at the hotel even though we were at home... She said "when can we go back home?" That is when I realized my mom was not my mother who I knew. It was very sad moment.

My mother has just come to live with my family. She was diagnosed with dementia in another state, should she be seeing a doctor specializing in dementia? Or just get primary care dr?

Thank you for a great article. I'm happy I found this site.

I am so grateful to AgingCare.com for providing additional insights and assistance into providing care for those with Alzheimer's. As a Caregiver, I strive to give those I care for the "best" possible care and
understanding. Your information provides me with better techniques and ideas to help those I care for. Thank you!

I wished I knew this terminology when Mom was going through anosognosia!

My mom will remember occasionally at times i had thgt she was putting on cuz it seems she gets worse when her live in bf is around. We can hold a conversation .i wonder if she gets dementis worse because he has convinced drs adavan works for her nerves. He and my older sister never include other 4 siblings in her welfare it seems as tho thy fuss but wont explain what we can do.she is simgle and close we all live far away

Wow, fantastic article, and I really learned a lot! My FIL who lives with us has recently failed the 1sr mini mental examination, so we know that we are in for a rough road ahead. I'm so glad to have read this article, to know some of the signs to look for, and how to deal (a little), with them!

I think my Dad is different from the usual dementia. Since there is a very specific physical reason for it. Hydrocephalus.

Some days he is very aware. He might not remember it for long..but, he knows. He asks why this is happening to him. He asks how it is possible for him to no know where his own bathroom is? He knows. Then, a day later he doesn't know.

I think in many ways it is more heartbreaking because my Dad pops through every so often.

Anosognosia is something I am very familiar with. My mother has significant cognitive decline, but thinks that she is fine. She has been diagnosed with dementia, but she does not acknowledge it. She sometimes admits that she has trouble with her memory, than other times she says she remembers everything. She tells me that I try to act like she's forgotten, but that she knows everything that happened.

Anosognosia is very difficult for a caregiver. For example, tonight my mother was talking about some chairs I gave away 3-4 years ago. She said that I should have asked her before giving them away. I told her I had, but then said she remembered everything perfectly and I had not asked her.

When things like this happen every day, it is like there is no reality at all. If I mention memory loss or confusion, it is met with a very angry "I'm not crazy!" When I read stories such as the one Jeanne wrote about her husband, I think of how much easier it would be if I could say something like "It's just ole dementia acting up." If I did that, there would be no peace. :-O

I thought I had problems. Reporting her daughter about stealing her car. It was kind of funny, but I know the daughter did not think so. Good advice. I take care of my 94 tear old mother with memory problems. I was feeling sad because my mother