I was diagnosed with early onset dementia and alzhimers. Is there safe guards I can put it up so I don't screw or kill anyone? Like who do I contact about being denied to own a gun?

Oh hi I'm a psychiatric nurse!

Most important: Pick the three people you trust most in the world, put them in order of who you want making decisions for you the most (you also need to consider who will be the most level-headed & put your needs before their own emotions), then talk to your doctor about what paperwork you need to sign for that. Then talk to those people at length about how you want to die and what would make you feel the safest and happiest day-to-day until it happens. Think about what routines have brought you peace in your life, what things you do for fun / relaxation, what kind of music you like to listen to, etc.

If you're up to it, I also highly recommend Wellness Recovery Action Planning. It's more designed for people who are more likely to recover, but it'll give you a template to go off to communicate your day to day needs in a written format for your legal decision makers and healthcare professionals to make you feel safe and comfortable as you progress through these next few stages. It'll also have some spaces for you to mention any specific triggers (a lot of the time we find out someone has PTSD from sexual assault after a trip to the bathroom unexpectedly turns into a cage match and it would be nice to get a heads up instead). And if you do this have a special section just for music; it's the part of your brain that's likely to keep working the longest. Make two playlists, one to dance / have fun to, and one to relax / sleep to.

I wouldn't fuss too much on the gun thing unless you already have one / have been used to having one for most of your life. If you were never a gun person before you're unlikely to randomly just go out and buy one.

Good luck and I really hope you're able to find trustworthy people to make decisions for you because without them to actually carry out your wishes, literally anything else you decide on now is completely moot.

Oh my... That's horrible, I wish you well.

First things first - you need to get someone you love and trust and get them power of attorney. You will eventually lose competence to make decisions for yourself and will need someone to be able to legally do so on your behalf.

As for guardrails, senior proof your home once and you'll be fine.

Elder care lawyer

I have seen people with middle-late stages of Alzheimer's. They have problems even with chewing food. Shooting gun? Impossible even in theory. Dead cat would be deadlier using the gun.

If you just want to get rid of some intrusive thoughts then get rid of a gun right now. You have much more serious problems than that.

Do you know anyone that you trust unconditionally?

You should assign someone durable power of attorney so that they can make decisions and manage your finances. Start planning medical and care decisions right now.

Otherwise, why do you think you would buy a gun? That’s not really common among people with dementia. Does your state have medical marijuana? Get a medical marijuana card. Most places, that will disqualify you or make it difficult.

Make sure someone is getting you evaluated regularly. Mental illness is also a disqualifier for gun purchases. A dementia diagnosis won’t necessarily disqualify you, though (except in Hawaii and Texas).

Also, check if your state has passed Donna’s Law.

I'm very sorry to hear that. What is your family support situation look like? That's one of the most important factors.

With regard to the gun thing, contact your state police (in the US), they should be able to help.

You could wear a chastity belt to prevent yourself from screwing anyone.

I’m sorry 😔

So sorry to hear. I have worked with many cases similar to yours. First things first, as most have said you need to find someone you trust to be you power of attorney. Depending on where you live in the world this can look different so I would consult with a expert to make sure you are doing it correctly.

This disease is scary because you slowly lose yourself. Depending on how it progresses you may eventually forget everyone you know. You may maintain long term memories but likely your short term memory will be completely shot.

This means you will often be on a short loop of 5-15 minutes as it progresses. Quality of life is highly dependent on very patient, kind, and understanding caregivers. It extremely exhaustive taking care of a person on this short loop.

Hearing the same story thousands of times. Constantly correcting behavior and a lot of supervision is needed. Often your emotional state is completely dependent on those around you. If everyone else is happy, you will be.

The good news is you may have a long time before this happens. Enjoy life and prepare for the worst. They could find some new treatment soon so you are not without hope. Definitely time for a bucket list.

Gosh, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Yes you should do what the others have said about getting someone trustworthy in charge of your legal affairs while you're still able to sign them over.

Yeah, might be a good idea to get on the Don't Sell list. Otherwise a person in your situation might give in to the urge to commit Dumpicide and either use their diagnosis as a defense or be shot by the Secret Service and spared the long decline.

You might want to consider doing a ketogenic lifestyle. There is lots of emerging research on the metabolism mind connection, and specificity about mental health. Not eating glucose raising foods doesn't hurt you, and it can have a marked improvement on brain health.

Honest question though: do you think you SHOULD own a gun?