Posted 1/4/19 later Had a 3.5 hour visit with mom today. It started off rough. I couldn’t find mom in the normal haunts, then found her in a neighboring room super angry/anxious and partially missing her top. She had made a mess of herself and the kind nurse was trying in vain to get her…
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Hearing Doesn’t Equal Understanding
Posted 1/4/19 The longer I live, the more realize that hearing and understanding are complex topics that are governed by many more variables than the quality of the ear and/or the mouth. Arguing a point, sharing an intimate feeling, defending a loved one…all of these actions involve words, but often the other things at play…
Wings
Posted 1/3/19 Another super sad day at the memory unit. One of the absolutely sweetest ladies of the Sweet 17 left for her eternal reward today. 🙁 Such a nice person. I will miss her smile, her sweet spirit and her singing to mom’s piano. The original Sweet 17 is quickly turning into a cover band…
Hodge Podge
Posted 1/3/19 Updates, recaps and a couple random Alzheimer’s thoughts: Pam and my stepdad stayed with mom for most of the daylight hours yesterday helping her deal with a barrage of tests. These screenings were a condition to moving her to a different hospital for a short stay while they redo her anxiety/Alzheimer’s meds. In…
New Year, No Teeth
Posted 1/1/19 Holy misplaced porcelain, Batman! Mom heads back to the hospital today, but not before she lost her lower plate. Soooooo frustrating. 🙁 May have to do mouth checks on the Sweet 17. Lol but not lol. #EndALZ #Ewwwwww Seriously, though: Prayerful friends…pray for my mom. She has to have some pretty challenging labs including a catheter…
Rough
Posted 12/31/18 Mom update…looks like another trip to the hospital for a while to try again to fix the meds that were broken by stomach illness and missed doses. Go figure…if the medicine doesn’t make it into the system, it helps less. 🙁 #EndALZ
Sundowners is a Downer, Son.
Posted 12/31/18 Hey all…let’s talk some sundowners/sundowning in Alzheimer’s Land!! (Tied for the worst amusement park name ever with Alzheimer’s World, Dementiaville and with Barefooted Lego Village.) Sundowners is an added value condition to the already raucous fun of Alzheimer’s. Folks with Alzheimer’s sometimes struggle in this way with late in the day issues, sometimes…
Melancholy
Posted 12/30/18 Mom was melancholy at best today. Sprinkled between fighting meds is getting stomach sick potentially from the meds….or from the stomach plague that is spread through the Sweet 17. Go figure…it is hard to enforce hand washing recommendations to folks that cannot remember their own names. We figure it is something she caught…
Mom and Her Meds
Posted 12/28/18 Mom is not taking her meds all the sudden. No good reason…just not willing. They redirect. They mix them in food. Very challenging for an Alzheimer’s patient to understand the importance of regular medications. Thoughts? Also, thoughts and prayers for the Sweet 17. Lots of flu bugs going around. There have been more…
In Dutch
Posted 12/27/18 Mom had a rough night yesterday in her first night back with the Sweet 17. Medicine compliance challenges which are a new concern. Today, though, she did pretty good…was even a tad goofy. 🙂 She was back tickling the keys at the piano and did great at it…best in months. This fact may indicate…