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He seems to be in a middle-later stage and I need regular break times.

With a husband who has dementia, you’re the one in charge. Asking him for permission for anything will soon have to stop because he won’t have the ability to understand or the reliability to make responsible decisions. I suggest tapering off his input into decision-making.

Just do it. This is hard for married couples who have always shared decision-making. But it’s a whole new ball game now. I wish you luck in navigating this new passage in your lives.
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Reply to Fawnby
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Yes, you make this about you and not him. You tell him that you're really needing help around the house and that this person is coming in to help you.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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I have personally explained to my Aunts that the caregiver was for my benefit and they accepted this. I have also used this reasoning with my Mom when she recently needed in-home aids after breaking her elbow in a fall.

Please resist trying to get your husband to "buy in" to any changes you as his caregiver needs. As he progresses you won't be able to use reason and logic with him, and if he has memory impairment he won't remember the discussion anyway.

Caregiving often requires creative problem-solving.
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Reply to Geaton777
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You don't ask, you just do it. You can't reason with someone with Dementia. The answer will probably be no. You hire someone and tell him its a friend who is going to sit with him why you go to the store. And like a small child, you give him a kiss and walk right out the door. They have no concept of time. You could be gone an hour or 3, to them you have just been gone.

I rarely gave my Mom a choice, I just did what needed to be done. Didn't ask if she wanted a shower it was "time for a shower". In the beginning of her Dementia I gave her 3 choices, I knew what she liked, on a menu. Then it was two and then I just picked her favorite. I placed her in AL a year before she passed. I did not ask her and she acclimated very well. Actually, she had more freedom then my house.

People suffering from Dementia cannot make informed decisions. You don't give them choices because their brains can no longer process. I watched two student nurses try to explain to my Mom what was going on with her treatment. I could tell my Mom had lost them after the first word. They were talking faster then her mind could comprehend. I told them, she did not understand a word you said.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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You’re wise to see the need for breaks and avail yourself of them regularly. Maybe “we’re both getting older and need help around the house” and like others have said, don’t present it as a choice
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Reply to Daughterof1930
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You just need to tell him a therapeutic fib and tell him how it’s going to go. A friend is coming over to help you.
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Reply to southernwave
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A way often recommended is for you to introduce the carer to him as ‘your friend’ who has come to ‘help you’ with housekeeping. That lasts for about 3 times, during which your friend spends more time with him than you do, then the next time you need to go out for a while. And so it goes.

The other way is simply to tell him that you need to go out and that a carer is coming to be with him while you are gone. You don’t ask him for permission, you just tell him.

And remember you DON’T need his permission. You have the right to go out.
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Reply to MargaretMcKen
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Call them a cleaning lady that you need.
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Reply to brandee
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Is there an Adult Day program in your area?
Typically they pick up in a van in the morning.
Bring the participant to the program and they get a breakfast, a lunch, a snack and programs and activities during the day. They can chose to participate or not but staff is really good at getting people involved.
the van would bring your husband back late in the afternoon.
this would give you both a break and it would give him some activities and socialization.
But if there is no program you can do a few things.
1. Introduce the caregiver as your friend. "Charlie my friend Betty is going to come over today and we are going to catch up" When "Betty" arrives sit and talk and you can tell her what the expectations are. Show her around.
The next time Betty comes over you make an excuse to run to the store for milk or eggs and let Betty fold laundry, get lunch ready or chat with your husband. the next time you can leave for a few hours. He will get comfortable with having someone else around.
2. Simply tell him that you need help. that if you do not get help you can not safely care for him at home.

He is probably not going to be happy with any explanation that you give him. the fact is that you can't do this alone.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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