Any advice? My husband has early Alzheimer's/Dementia from an accident 2 yrs ago. I successfully fought his family and won Guardianship. I am now his sole caregiver and it has almost destroyed our relationship. It has reversed our roles and he resents his loss of independence. I am the only one capabale of keeping our home in tact and him out of a nursing home. His illness and also his family input has caused him to distrust me, even though we've been together 11 yrs. He now wants to live with his sister, who I believe will file to have our marriage disolved (legal in the State she lives in). He also is asking for a divorce. Is there anyone with experience in Guardianship, Dementia, and divorce? I can't keep this marriage together if he and his family want to tear it apart. Should I accept the inevitable and file first for divorce before a disolution? I am 64 and a divorce may give me some property rights. A disolution would mean nothing. Thank you
You might want to think about contacting a lawyer who has some background in guardianship issues. If you call the Alzheimer's Association's 24/7 Helpline they could probably refer to someone. You also might want to check your local Area Agency on Aging and see if they can offer you any resources or referrals.
Are you in a remarriage? If so, I wonder if you would be interested in participating in a study about remarried caregivers who are in at least second marriages and caring for spouses with memory loss. I am a research assistant and social worker. I am assisting with the research on the Remarried Spouse Caregiver Study at the University of Michigan-Ann ARbor. If you are interested in participating, please send me an email at skward@umich.edu and I will give you more details.
Take care of yourself.
Sekai K. Ward, MSW
