My husband was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia last year. He is on anti-psychotic drugs prescribed for him by his Geritrician Pyschiatrist. He has been having a few falls, trouble controlling his bladder and bowels. He keeps saying there is nothing wrong with him and that the Dr's. are just trying to get promotions by "coming up with a diagnosis". There are times he can be sweet, but other times, no one wants to be around him. They revoked his license, but he is still driving. Also, I have taken over the finances because he got us into soooo much debt and he hides his purchases. Now, he goes behind my back and charges things (he does not have any credit cards because I have them all), but manages to go to the stores and tells them he forgo his card and they look up his account. I am at my wits end, I also am a caregiver for my mother.
If you do go the Guardianship route, I'll consult with an attorney to see what's involved. If you are appointed, then you can provide businesses a copy of the document and they have to abide by your decision regarding his credit with the store.
He likely has Anosognosia which means he is neurologically incapable of accepting his medical diagnosis. He simply cannot accept it due to his condition. I'd look into how that works. It might save you some frustration.
Not if he's absolutely determined never to be convinced, of course. I'm so sorry for what you're going through.
Close all your current charge accounts. Open new ones in only your name. I opened a small checking account for my husband's use, and took his name off of our joint account. This required his signature, but we did this the same day he got to open his own account so he was happy enough to comply. After he was diagnosed I found bills stuffed under couch cushions. Sigh. You really have to prevent him from ruining your finances.
Next time he drives without his license, report him and his route to the police. Not only is he risking his own safety but that of others on the road as well. This is absolutely not acceptable and you have to stop it any way you can. Do you have two cars? Sell his. Disable yours in a way you can easily fix it for yourself but he might not be able to. Take all the keys. Not being able to drive was probably the very worst part of dementia for my husband. He mourned his special edition Miata for a year. But it had to be done.
I think you can do these things without the expense of getting guardianship. Also, in the entire ten years my husband was never at a point he would be declared incompetent. That is one of the requirements of getting guardianship -- you'd have to prove he is incompetent. (Not just that he makes bad decisions.)
The good days/bad days, good hours/bad hours nature of the disease can be very challenging. Take full advantage of the good times.
Does your mother live with you? What are her infirmaries? My mother began to go downhill while my husband had dementia. I am SO glad that my sisters were able to handle it with minimal help from me. I cannot imagine dealing with LBD and also caring for someone else. Yikes! Hugs to you.
Let us know how this works out for you.