From ALZ.ORG:
New criteria and guidelines for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease have been published — for the first time in 27 years — by three expert workgroups spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The workgroups published four articles including ready-to-use clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s. A research agenda was proposed for preclinical Alzheimer’s. The use of biomarkers in Alzheimer’s dementia and MCI due to Alzheimer’s was also proposed as a research agenda only, and is not intended for application in clinical settings at this time.
I helped move my mom from a one bedroom independent apartment in a residential care facility to a studio apartment. Mom is running out of money and I quickly. No one really anticipated this. The good news is that she has remained independent longer than we thought. (Mom has Parkinson’s and a long term care policy that will kick in when she needs assisted living.) The bad news is that she will probably run out of money before she needs the care. I am exhausted and living in a fog. My sister is helping her unpack and settle in this weekend. She flew in from CA leaving her husband and two young girls who start school on Monday. I don’t think she will get everything done with mom because mom will have to get rid of at least 50% more stuff to really make the small space work. I dread dealing with the left overs when she leaves. Mom has Parkinson’s and needs more and more help. I thought I was in the thick of things 8 years ago when she was diagnosed and she moved from her condo. Now I realize that it is really just being for me. The last years of a move, multiple falls, emergency room visits, managing multiple medications well that is seeming easy now. I am not looking forward to the next stage. I am not looking forward to aging myself.
You might want to get an assessment to see if she is ready to move into an assisted living. It could take some of the burden off of you and your sister. You could also look for some guidance from a professional geriatric care manager. You could find one locally by visiting this website http://www.caremanager.org/ or call us for a referral.