re: Has anyone here dealt with the onset of mental illness with their spouse?

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My wife is 65 and has been diagnosed with subcortial dementia. She is adopted so we have no idea of her family background. She is aware of the diagnosis. She's lost almost all independence and cries a lot. She's still safe around the house but I can't take her somewhere and then leave her alone. We have put all of our legal affairs in order. We've been married 40 years and of course we're still together. This is just part of the deal .... in sickness and in health. Two days ago she had a full hip replacement and I'm sitting in a hospital room now at 2 am in the morning making sure she doesn't try to get out of bed. It's hard.

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Went through this with my mom. I would advise getting with an estate planner that will help you get her on Medicaid for the time she gets ready to go to a nursing home. Do it now Nursing home care is going to be 5-6K a month and will drain your finances quickly unless you are a multi-millonaire.