In your hunt for various services, don't be surprised when you're told "sorry, but s/he doesn't meet our minimum age requirement." I got this unexpected response while investigating treatment facilities, day care, and residential care. Minimums ranged from 60 to 65. Fortunately, this type of limitation is the exception, but it's still a kick in the head when the service provider is at the top of your list.

Are the programs you have looked into covered by medical insurance? What were some of the reasons that they gave you when you questioned these restrictions? I can't understand why they would place such limitations... to me it seems the care for an Alzheimer's patient would be the same for anyone in a certain stage of the disease regardless of age. Also, in your experience has your loved one's disease progressed much more rapidly through the stages being an EO case?

Health insurance didn't enter the discussion. These facilities simply announced their minimum age requirement and that ended the inquiry. One facility is a state-run geriatric psychiatric hospital. No one under 65 is admitted. Two other assisted living/dementia care facilities have minimum age requirements of 62 and 65. I guess these restrictions are a way to ration services. If there were unlimited AD care facilities, these restrictions wouldn't be necessary.

Hi Firefly,
Sorry to be a latecomer to this discussion.
First, have you talked to "the powers that be" at these places to see if they can make an exception? If you have all the proper medical paperwork and/or letters from doctors re the diagnosis, I would hope that there would be some mechanism for making an exception to the regular rules. Sometimes it really helps to climb the ladder of authority as high as you can, too, in getting someone to really look at this possibility.
Secondly, my Dad is 80 and has AD, so he's not an early onset case, like your wife, but I have a friend who was diagnosed this year with early onset. Do you have any advice for me on relating to her? I find myself doing really stupid things, like assuming she knows things and remembers things just because she looks and acts so totally OK, but I don't want to be condenscending either.
I am so sorry for you and your wife's situation. What a difficult journey you are on. She is so lucky to have you, though.
Hang in there, and God Bless you Both!
Carol

What I've noticed is that agencies tend to group Alzheimer's services with "senior" services and that's where that age restriction comes in. 60 is the minimum age across the board around me (thank God my mom is 66).

I think in the very near future, they're going to have to look at this issue, because there are more and more EO being diagnosed every day and in my opinion (a humble one) if someone has AD there should be no such restriction in place. The disease is the disease, and if they are providing services for older adults with AD they need to provide the same services to younger adults.

I couldn't agree more. This is a prime example of the healthcare crisis in our country. I can only hope that my generation is gaining exposure to these injustices, so that generations to come will not be plagued by the same issues.