I believe my husband had dementia. Should he be working?

It depends on what kind of work he does and what his dementia-like symptoms are.

If he does need to stop working because of medical symptoms he should do it in such a way that he is eligible for as many of his retirement benefits as possible, and social security disability. You will certainly need an official medical diagnosis for this. You may also want to consult a lawyer to go over all the paperwork involved.

Dementia is always heartbreaking. I think that early-onset dementia (occurring while the person is still working) is particularly cruel. I don't know why you think that your husband has this, but your husband's first step should be to see specialists and get a diagnosis.

If he does physically risky work, the answer is no, he shouldn't be working. He needs to be on a leave of absence pending a medical evaluation. He can't risk an injury due to impaired thinking. If there's no physical injury risk, he can still work. Mine continued to work. Coworkers and supervisors aren't dumb, they can detect something's off and modify work accordingly. Your husband can report to the appropriate supervisors that medical testing is in progress and that he's aware that there's something wrong. That way some allowance will be made, depending on the workplace. If they insist he can't work, the decision is taken out of your hands. Hopefully, he has short-term disability with his job.

Here's a surprising fact: I researched my hubby's benefits paperwork and found this "gem" : he could NEVER, EVER transition from short term disability to long term disability because taking long term disability (LTD) disqualified him from receiving his pension. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Always read all the information you can. We'd paid for LTD at the highest possible level of pay (70%) for 27 years, never knowing he could never take it or he would lose his pension! They never revealed that fact until we came close to the reality of using it. As Duke Energy tried to move him into LTD we carefully maneuvered him AWAY from it and into retirement. What a racket!

What kind of work does he do?

Is "had" a typo for "has"? If he has not been diagnosed he needs to see a doctor. There are many medical conditions, including urinary tract infections, that can mimic dementia. Get him to the doctor for a complete checkup and any testing the doctor recommends. Make sure the doctor has a complete list of the symptoms he is exhibiting. Only after diagnosis should it be considered to leave work. Even his job if he considers it stressful could cause synptoms. He may be able to claim disability with a dementia diagnosis which is very important to ascertain prior to him quitting or being let go.

Jan629 I would answer no, Your Husband should be winding down His work, because of this diagnosis for His own safety. Dementia is a cruel illness which will affect memory and concentration, two essential vitals for work, and will affect Life for Your Husband in so many other ways. Prepare for a hard road ahead.

Had?

Jan, you wrote 2 new postings that have the same question. See the link below for some answers to your previous post.

https://www.agingcare.com/questions/should-my-husband-keep-working-and-if-nothow-can-I-get-him-to-stop-191574.htm