Mrs. Engel feels her role as a caring wife is a great responsibility.

Mrs. Engel feels her role as a caring wife is a great responsibility. She says that nothing should happen to her because otherwise her husband's well-being would suffer.

Mrs. Engel says that her husband has withdrawn. The couple’s common social activities have broken down.

Mrs. Engel says that her husband has withdrawn. He avoids socializing. He no longer accepts invitations to play tennis and will not take phone calls. The couple’s common social activities have broken down.

Finding health information on the Internet as well as listening to lectures has helped Mrs. Engel to understand dementia and to adapt her behavior to her husband’s needs.

By reviewing material on the Internet and attending lectures, Mrs. Engel is able to make sense of her experiences. She finds answers to her husband's odd behavior. This health information has been helpful to better understand the disease and adapt her behavior to her husband.

Mrs. Engel describes how her husband detached himself from the situation when the diagnosis was made. He sat there uninvolved.

Mrs. Engel initiated her husband’s diagnostic assessment by expressing to his doctor her concerns that something was wrong. When the diagnosis was made, her husband detached himself from the situation. He resisted being involved, as Mrs. Engel recounts. She stopped raising the topic of the diagnosis with her husband.

Mrs. Engel feels the need to be around her husband constantly, even though he can still go out on his own or stay home alone for a few hours.

Mrs. Engel feels the need to be around her husband constantly, even though he can still go out on his own or stay home alone for a few hours. She feels it is necessary to stay with him since, otherwise, he would lose a healthy sleep/wake cycle and any rhythm around meal times.

If Mrs. Engel had the information she has since acquired from the Internet and attending lectures, she would have behaved differently.

If Mrs. Engel had the information she has since acquired from the Internet and attending lectures, she would have behaved differently. Mrs. Engel no longer reacts angrily to her husband's inaccurate claims, and she no longer gets annoyed when he frequently misplaces things. She overlooks certain situations and statements.

Although she generally views her circle of friends positively, Mrs. Engel is unsure whether she would accept help from them should she need it.

Although she generally views her circle of friends positively, Mrs. Engel is unsure whether she would accept help from them should she need it.

Mrs. Engel plans to care for her husband, who has dementia, at home for as long as possible, which is why she will move into an accessible apartment with her husband.

Mrs. Engel plans to care for her husband, who has dementia, at home for as long as possible. For this reason, she has adapted her home so that it is suited for the care that he needs. She plans to move with her husband to an accessible apartment imminently. Based on her experience with her mother, who also suffered from dementia, she will only consider institutional care if her husband becomes aggressive.