I have been watching utube videos about alz and dem patients. In ALL cases that were there the family support was there. I have one sister who is 76 and a niece in PA that is as close to me as a daughter but has a very busy life. I have 2 close friends down the road and that is it. What will happen to me if and when I get this horrible disease ? My husband has Mild Dem. and is 68. I am caring for him until I can no longer do it if he needs to go in a facility. BUT who will take care of me ? I really would like to know what happens when you are diagnosed and there is no family around to care for you or put you in a facility. I'm so scared. I have to stop watching these videos. Thanks.....Hugs
But I also worry about a lot of us baby boomers that are going to lose our minds but not our bodies and have no relatives who care about us. It might be a useful motivation to reach out to volunteer organizations, make friends and connections, to stand in for family when the time comes?
My dear "Uncle" Rex was left without blood relatives when his time came (I was a child then), but he knew he was dying. He made best friends with the undertaker :-) The guy even did the eulogy at his funeral, broke up over it an all. A little humor for a real serious topic.
There are tiered facilities that go from IL, to AL, to NH and all within the same campus. Yiu may need to cast a wide out of your county search for these. Often there are apartments by NHs as the zoning allows for those as well, so he moves into NH but your in your own apt or patio home nearby.
You may want to think about when you are doing your research to perhaps move sooner rather than later. One thing I saw in both the IL and the 2 NH that my late
mom was in, was that often the new resident was not able to be social within a community. It was more than getting used to the environment. They had been at home on their own or with a spouse or daughter and it had become their world. The social skills of eating with others, waiting your turn, asking for things, being comfortable with sounds & bustle of groups, etc. has gone away. Often family just wait too too long to move them and when they finally do, the elder is unable to be barely sociable. Very sad.