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Wouldn't it be great if we could summarize all of the emotions, frustrations, anxieties, and all the other feelings that a caregiver for a LO, especially a spouse, with Alzheimers experiences. Caring for a LO with AD is a test of one's commitment, resilience, self control, physical and mental capacity, it is the crucible of caring. No one person can possibly convey the experience of being an AD caregiver. They can describe their experience, but it may be nothing like yours.

Your husband already has no sleeping pattern. He may stay awake for an entire day and night. You, of course cannot. If he's awake and you're not, what is he doing? Might he wander out of the house? Might he do something dangerous like turning all the stove burners on? You can't possibly watch him every hour of every day. It's time for outside help, you cannot continue to safely care for him on your own. Every state has at least one, and some states have several Area Agencies on Aging. They are an excellent resource for caregivers. You can call them at their Macon location at 888-548-1456. Keep an open mind about your options. It's not only about his disease, but also about your own health.
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Hello,

Late-onset Alzheimer's typically presents with some other symptoms like episodic memory loss, mood changes, depression, and variable involvement of other cognitive domains.

David,
Professional caregiver
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If you're talking about ONSET of Alzheimer's, there is early onset (before age 65). After 65, is not called late onset. Just normal onset. In regard to the disease, there are three major stages, Mild, Moderate and Severe. What are referring to?
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Late onset is ..someone that has been diagnosed later in life, a more advanced age than would would be defined as Early Onset, that can be as young as someone in their 30's.
If you are talking about Late Stage that is different.
If you look at the typical lists of the different stages it will give you an idea what 'stage' someone is at. I pretty much ignored the "stages", there were things my Husband could not do when he should have been able to still do them and there were things that he could do when he should not have been able to do them.
Each person is different.
The bottom line is this.....
How are you handling the stage that he is at now.
Taking care of someone in your home is great if it can be done safely. That is not just his safety but yours as well. I am talking physical safety as well as emotional / mental safety.
Deciding to place someone in Memory Care is a tough decision and it is NOT a failure on your part, it is admitting that your loved one needs more care than you can give at home.
Hiring caregivers will help.
Talking to his doctor about problems, about medications that need to be adjusted also helps.

Side note...If your Husband is a Veteran contact your local Veterans Assistance Commission and let them help you figure out how much help the VA can be. It could be a little or a LOT. Recent changes also allow the VA to pay spouses for caring for the Veteran.
Find out if there is Adult Day Care in your area.
Contact the Area Agency on Aging in your community and see if he qualifies for any help.
Contact your local Senior Center see what they have available.
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It seems each person is affected by Alzheimer's differently. Do not be surprised by the variety of answers here.
My friend's father went into hospice with late stage Alzheimers, he'd become too unmanageable at home. As well as a few other physical problems. Once his medications were re-evaulated, he was much better, resting, then had a massive stroke and passed in less than a day.
My friend's husband with late stage Parkinsons had to be admitted to the hospital, had several medical issues as well. He too was resting comfortably, stabilized, and quietly passed away. Absolutly no indication that that was going to happen.
So, involvement is complicated, often messy, unexpected changes, and quite often unique to each person, their friends and loved ones too.
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Here is some information from the Alzheimer's website about what to expect with late stage AD:

https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/stages-behaviors/late-stage

You may want to look into full time care for your husband now, either at home or in a Memory Care Assisted Living residence because at 74, you may not be able to manage him anymore yourself. Things can get very difficult at this stage of the disease process, and what happens if YOU break down? Something to think about.

Best of luck
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