I need advice. My husband is diagnosed with dementia!

I honestly don’t know what to do anymore, and I think I’m reaching my breaking point. My husband has developed dementia, and every day feels a little harder than the last. He forgets so many things now. I have to remind him about almost everything, and he depends on me for so much. I love him, but caregiving has become emotionally exhausting, and some days I feel so alone.

The hardest part is that every other day, whenever he gets upset or frustrated, he tells me he wants a divorce. It completely shatters my heart every single time. Then the next day, it’s like it never happened. He has absolutely no memory of saying it. When I gently ask him about it, he looks genuinely confused and says, “I would never say that. You’re the most important person in my life. I love you so much.” Then he’ll hug me, reassure me, and I start believing everything is okay… until it happens all over again. It’s like living on an emotional roller coaster that I never get to step off.

I know dementia changes people, and I keep reminding myself that this disease is talking, not the man I love. But hearing the word “divorce” over and over is slowly breaking me inside. I cry in private because I don’t want him to see how much it hurts me. I don’t know when I should take his words seriously and when I should ignore them because of the dementia. Has anyone else gone through something like this with a spouse? How did you protect your own heart while still caring for the person you love? I could really use some advice because I feel so lost right now. 💔