Update on Rob

On July 30, Rob was involved in a car accident. He sustained significant injuries to his spine but is thankfully not paralyzed. He did break two vertebra. T-12 and L2. T12 is a more significant break and both are very very painful.

He has been in St Mary's since the day of the accident and is doing well except for severe pain that is difficult to control. He is able to get himself out of bed and can get to a chair, etc, but cannot yet go home.

They plan on moving him to a rehabilitation unit tomorrow to begin helping him gain strength and stability so that he can go home. He will be in rehab for from 2 to 14 days.

I have shared this info with Dorothy's permission. If you want their address of phone number, please get in touch with me on facebook or via phone and I will provide it to you.

Prayers are requested and gratefully accepted. Their church family is taking care of meals and errands for now but I've told Dorothy if there is anything I can do all she needs to do is call me.

Updates as they occur.

Best,

Amy

All,

Rob was involved in an auto accident Friday afternoon as he left Mom's. Apparently someone was in his lane coming around a curve on, I'm assuming, Midway road. He had to swerve, caught a wheel on the edge of the road and ended up against a tree. He has suffered a significant injury and may or may not be back at the farm any time soon. He's in St Mary's but may be released on Sunday or Monday.

I just thought you all would like to know.

Amy

Whew! So much going on within family that I won't even mention save that Helen now has a deeper shade of rose-colored glasses and was a bit more disoriented during the first of the week than she was Thursday/Friday. The only other change has been: more laid-back, more naps but all in all, that's all.

A few tussles over taking her Namenda, which she says she "takes when she goes to bed." Yes, I let her do that one time this past week knowing that I would know when I walked in the door the next morning whether she took it or not (radical change for the worse, a lot of rummaging, sort of manic in that way.) Anyway, a five-year-old could spot it. She is liable to forget to forget her meds (I do.) I won't let that happen should she get horsey about it again. As I've said, I'm not above mixing one that has been crushed to powder into her food or drink. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it is standard operating procedure when dealing with a non-compliant elderly person. R

Helen Wins The Non-Compliance Game

A good day right up until her pm medicine time so I could go home. Helen refused to take her Namenda. She knew exactly what she was doing and, as said, if she were my mom, a no-holds-barred knock-down-drag-out fight would have started right then and there and the medicine would have been taken. No such thing with Helen. First of all, she is not my mom and secondly, I have a certain mood with Helen which focusses on our common traits and I am not going to sacrifice it's ability facilitate compliance in other areas for one Namenda, although I am not above mortar and pestling one to slip into her food. All suggestions welcome. RC

6/23

Nothing much to report today. Helen cleaned her plate, took a long nap watched Gunsmoke in the morning and The Sting (following that crazy plot) in the afternoon and did not give me any trouble with her afternoon medications. A Good Day.

6/22 Tuesday

Okay. p.m. meds not given again. Helen scattered again upon arrival. Gave Namenda and will be giving pm medications before I go. The Aricept w/ the instructions "one a day" will now be given in the morning as I have seen do better with it given that way. Not like today when she changed or rearranged several articles of clothing 6 or 7 times. Same clothes, new "arrangements." This where "care, affection, and allowing harmless odd behaviors (harmless) go. Let her change clothes to her heart's content. To make a fuss over it would be challenging her perception of what she needs to do. Just don't do it for reasons I'll explain further. She got better after her afternoon Aricept and ended the day quite well. Got the kitchen floor clean and will get to the wooden floors as soon as I figure out what to use. Mop and Glo? Finally, Gunsmoke to the rescue again. It's like shooting in the dark trying to find movies whose plot she can follow for 2 hrs. which, as I type realize thats expecting too much. R.

thaynk yew maystr dillin

Day (Monday6/21) started out weird with Helen up and restless, then going through her cupboard showing me where things were kept. Either a mini-stroke or she's missed a med, I thought, hoping it was the latter. It was. I called her pharmacy and asked when the Aricept should be given since the only instructions were "one a day." So the big yellowish pill is in the night time part of the box now. I'll try and keep it full, but not all the way as Helen uses "oh, I've taken that already" when she hasn't and for all I know that's how she remembers it, but the pill box will allow whoever to show her that she hasn't.

Helen was very unfocussed and I tried Bonanza, then Rawhide w/o success. Gunsmoke to the rescue! She settled into Dodge with Matt, Chester, Miss Kitty and Doc and we watched it the rest of my stay. So, remember the healing powers of Gunsmoke if Helen gets skittish.

One of the things we all learn as babies is how to calm ourselves down when we're not. Then when we get old, we lose our calming reflex and can't calm ourselves down when we're not. I lose mine about three times a week. You?

5/17

As Helen gets more symptomatic, certain problems arise if one doesn't know they're there.

For instance, if any of you should say "I saw three raccoons on the deck this morning" two things will happen.

1. Helen will obsess about it all day

2. She will have totally forgotten all about it tomorrow.

Lesson: Watch what you introduce into a conversation, especially anything that would agitate her.

She will still forget it tomorrow, but you won't have to sit there and think up 30 different responses to "there were three raccoons on the deck this morning" the day of the raccoon mentioning.

Helen peaceful. Read most of the day.

5/16

Helen is showing more AZD symptoms (increased memory loss, in appropriate answers in conversation, backing off from tasks that require an exact sequence of actions [stove, personal hygiene, coffee maker] most of the time but not all of the time. She went to sleep with a lit cigarette in her mouth, is leaving opened but not drunk Boost bottles around the house. I got a real cussing out when I didn't buy the "Oh, I always take that before bed" and made her take it in my sight. At least she remembers some four-letter words. Appetite good, but then, Amy was cooking.

6/14 Birthday Girl

Helen was soooo very happy to have her birthday. I was sooo not very happy at her new habit of leaving open not drunk Boosts all over the place not letting me throw them away "Oh I'll drink those later." She is going out with Becky and/or Suzanne, depending on who you ask tonight to be wined and dined. All in all, a good day.

6/11/10

Told Helen that I am going to just "live there" or behave as if I were home and not sit over her like a big bird watching her every move. My room now is the upstairs bedroom.The hummingbird feeder leaks and I will have to get another as we have a few hummers now. Of course, Inspector Clousseau (sp) had a trail of sugar water from the porch to the sink soooo Helen's floor got a semi-mop job. Will dust-bust Monday. There may (or may not) be a problem remembering the steps involved to make coffee. It was 1/2 fixed and just left it with a wrong amount in the basket. I'll keep an eye on that. She is also getting more quiet, though will speak when spoken to.

6/10/10

Started of shopping gave medicine then went back to town for birdseed as Helen enjoys her birds very much. We both read for awhile. Fixed lunch (Rigatoni and Chicken-Stoffers-she likes that-it gives her a chance to eat the garlic toast-with milk, of course) She said "Ill eat the rest for dinner."

If you want her to eat, small portions are less intimidating to her. Read on the porch together. Birds are getting used to us, and some will feed with us not 4' away. Installed out own CD as the one I got at the pawn shop did not allow menu selections. I should have taken your advice, Amy. Our VCR is there too, ready to go when needed.

Plateau?

It's hard for me to read Helen of late. She is staying to herself more, reading. She forgot she had lunch today when Scott came over with chicken from Bojangle's. I suppose it's kind of a waiting game right now to see what happens next, if anything. R.

Helen's Brain

There are more nerve connections in the brain as there are stars in the sky. Think about that. Trillions or more. When a nerve cell or group of nerve cells loses its blood supply to a mini-stroke it not only affects those cells, but the cells connected to those cells and the cells connected to those

cells.

Fortunately, other brain cells "know" this and are able to modify themselves to do the job the now dead cells were doing. In Helen, at present, this takes 2-3 days, on average. And so 2-3 days after Friday's mini-stroke she was back to her old self again. Will she suffer a massive stroke? Who knows? Nobody knows except God, and He's not tellin.' But for now it's good to have Helen "back." R.

Sunday April 11

Was out to Mom's this morning. I got there at 9 and gave her her morning medicine. She said she had eaten already so I didn't force that issue. I, however, had not and, in reaching in the refrigerator was assaulted by the smell.

I threw away over 25 pounds of rotten food from her fridge this morning. Please quit taking it out there !! A whole uncooked chicken, a bunch of collards and onions, numerous items of left over food that were moldy. There was a ham in there from heaven-only-knows when - it was green and fuzzy. The one Vic brought out on Easter Sunday was in there but I left it just to keep some semblance of peace.

Mother got really angry with me for throwing away MOLDY blueberries even though she has a package of good blueberries in the fridge. Yeah - so angry she went for a walk. Sorry folks, but I'm not leaving moldy food in there for her to eat.

Up until that time (about 3 hours) she seemed in pretty good spirits. She is still insisting on getting a suntan on her legs. What is up with that ?? She's NEVER wanted a suntan and she sits on the deck - despite my suggesting she's getting burned - for 2 hours at at time.

After I cleaned the fridge and washed up all the containers I actually weighed the bag of trash - it really was 25 pounds.

I left three open containers of mayo, 3 open jars of grape jelly, 5 (yep, count 'em) 5 loaves of bread. She got mad because I threw out a loaf of green fuzzy rye bread, too. And yes, she has another loaf of rye in the fridge.

I don't do well with the silent treatment and the cold shoulder, dementia or not. And I'll tell you I feel pretty crappy about it, but - I asked Scott to give her her evening meds and told him where the medicine box is (in the brown cabinet above the white medicine cabinet in the kitchen. I asked Gary to check in on her a couple times this afternoon. So she should be well taken care of for the rest of the day.

I kissed her goodbye and said I love you. She declined to respond. Told ya - she was angry.

So please..... unless you plan on sitting down and eating what you brought WITH her, then don't leave it there !! It's just gonna spoil.

Oh yeah - she does not need carrots, she has three bags full. Same thing with celery. And the container of meat salad ? I THINK she made that this week..... maybe Rob knows.

amy

Dern!

Here I do my good deed for today, writing down how to recognize and care-take someone with a mini-stroke, and then Helen has one sometime early today, She wasn't able to carry on a conversation, preferring to stay on her own topic, however irrelevant it was to the reality going on then. There was a lot of "rummaging" through the house and finally a fixation concerning her medication, asking me to write down the date of each am and pm dose lid on a post-it note, then scotch-taping each one down, and still, for all the explaining I did, never "got it." Needless to say the medication has returned to the brown cupboard above the "sweets" refrigerator DON'T LEAVE IT ANYWHERE ELSE! KEEP IT ALL OUT OF HELEN'S SIGHT! She was sort of non-talkative as she rummaged and her speech topics didn't fit the situation. She spent a fair amount of time leaning against the deck rail. She was fine with Scott in her "Scott mode" which has been there all their lives, that is to say, long-term memory and she can do that mode easily because it's a familiar way to act (in both senses of the word.) She has totally forgot yesterday and made a couple of "too close together repeating of sentences. Pray God she comes out of this one. short-term memory is pretty much out of commission as well as holding on to knew information (as evidenced by the pill box incident) I've asked Cindy to go over and get a baseline on Helen's behavior, and to call me Sunday night to let me know if it's 24 hr. time. I hope not, but you do whatever it takes. I hope, Becky, that you can get this message to Chuck, as he and his family will be weekending there. R

Mini-stroke Symptoms

It's Been 20 since I was in nursing school, but I'm going to give it a shot. Amy, you are invited/encouraged to weigh in on this. Someone asked me how I could tell if Helen has had a mini-stroke, from which Helen recovers w/in 2-3 days. These behaviors are sudden, that's what tell you it's a mini-stroke and not AZD. This is part is mostly what I have seen in Helen, plus a little learned teaching other caregivers and as an RN.

Some signs a person who has had a Mini-Stroke

1) There is a generalized confusion on her part and she goes around the house like she is looking for something (usually at night, but sometimes not.) I don't know a specific name for this behavior. I call it "rummaging." She also be moving slower and more to forget how to cook things, which is dangerous.

2) She is non-conversational for the most part and when she does talk, it often makes no sense or she makes up parts of stories to "fill in the blanks" in her memory the mini-stroke has made.

3) There may be a difficulty in communicating. She may be looking right at you, but if you look closely at her eyes, you can pretty much tell that she's not understanding a word you're saying.

Caregiving suggestions

During the 2-3 days when her brain is recovering

1) stay close

2) Explain to her what y9u or you and she are doing as it happens, to help with her confusion.

3) Helen may lose her sense of time (an abstract concept) so don't introduce and expect her know "time prompts" like 'later on" "Yesterday" "Tomorrow." Even the innocuous word 'when' should be used sparingly us. And do not try to correct her as you would only confuse her. (if you have ever seen her w/o medication, it looks about the same, so that is a way to tell if she if taking her medication. She cannot miss one, signal dose, these seems to come on quickly as well, so check her medication box) With her memory loss and confusion brought about by a mini-stroke, shes apt to forget to take them ( who doesn't?), or God forbid, take too many.

That is when you put her medication box in the brown cupboard above the white refrigerator that has the Honey Buns in it. That's all for now. I'll be posting more information soon; R.

Bouncing Back from Recent TIA

Helen got off to a slow start today, fairly non-communicative, but a combination of time outdoors on the porch alone, Rawhide, turkey and dressing, A River Runs Through It (one of my favorite movies, Helen watched all of it, laughing in all the right places, and, I assume, getting her heart wrenched in all the right places as well), still more Rawhide (she's getting to be a fan) and a long, late-afternoon on the deck conversation with Helen (reminiscing pretty darned accurately) seem to have done the trick. I believe she is almost back at her baseline of two weeks ago until the next TIA. If another one happens soon on the heels of these last two, that would probably signal a "go ahead" for a few 24 hr. stints until her brain finds different pathways and she recovers again, then no 24s again until the next one, though (I repeat) I'm still not comfortable with Helen being alone from 4-5 pm 'til 10 am. The TIAs, it seems, are getting a little more frequent, and may possibly continue to do so. AZD doesn't really figure into it right now, I think. It's those "vascular accidents" that Dr. Crane mentioned that are the present focus. Remember, it's her entire vascular system that is compromised, not just her brain. But like I said, she seems to bounce back in a few days presently. Sitting on that deck was more healing than anything, I think, for both of us. Lets hope the good weather continues. R.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

That is to say that Dr. Crane is amazed that Helen is even alive given the vascular damage in virtually all parts of the brain. Helen, I think, probably had a mini-stroke last night as she wasn't quite herself this morning, but she was fine by the time we reached the doctor's office. Dr. Crane was very pleased with Helen's high level of functioning given the physical state her brain. She saw no problem with Helen doing her own meds, unless we see some evidence of non-compliance, which I haven't as yet. Cindy asked if a sedative was in order and Dr. Crane said "no, it would probably have an adverse effect at this point." Helen did score a few points lower on the mini-mental health exam, which surprised no one. The surprise was that she has been doing so well. She went out on the deck, sat and enjoyed the sunshine after lunch today, and dressed herself appropriately for her appointment. The personal hygiene issue was brought up. Dr. Crane didn't even press it, leaving me to assume that neither should we, I guess. Helen, she said, was at risk to undergo a "vascular accident" [stroke, embolism (clot), heart attack] before the Alzheimer's gets too awful bad. At least that's the way I understood it, and I believe that she is probably right. R.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AZD) and Memory Loss

Symptom (s): “Why can’t mom remember who was at her house yesterday, but can relate in great detail what happened when she was a teenager?” We all have a Short Term Memory (STM), Middle-Term Memory (MTM) and a Long-Term Memory (LTM). Once new information is presented to us, it first enters the STM and from there the brain decides whether or not to store the information in the MTM part of the brain (I have a Dr. Appointment next week) or the LTM part of the brain (my brother’s new wife’s name is Julie) or we can just let the information go from the STM as unnecessary (a fly just flew by me).

Why: The part of the brain that is affected first in the person with AZD is called the hippocampus and its chief duty is to grab and hold onto new information while the brain decides where it wants it to go: MTM or LTM (Humans can only hold 7 bits of new information in our STM at a time, so this decision needs to be made quickly.) Unfortunately, no new information will “stick” in the AZD patient. The nerve endings in the hippocampus get covered with a protein plaque so that nerve cells cannot “pass along” information to the next cell. The result is that information goes, literally, “in one ear and out the other.” The person may suddenly stop using, say, the microwave, or the bathtub, or a cell phone because there are so many steps to using these things that they just can’t remember them at all. That’s very scary for them; embarrassing, too. Sometimes only part of the memory is damaged in as the disease progresses and the person will “make up” parts of or names to fill the “holes” in their memory. This is called “confabulating” and the caregiver must let the person give their flawed, inaccurate story. What’s it like for the person? When you get up and start out of the room, you will know you had been on the computer. A person with STMemory loss will have no idea of where they have just been, or where they are going or even that there is even a computer.

Caregiver Strategies: As with almost every facet of the behavior of the person afflicted by AZD, as a caregiver you must “choose your battles.” If the person cannot remember where their other blue sock is and puts on a red one instead, let it go (unless you are going out somewhere). Never argue with the person (Dad!? Don’t you remember?!). It puts them on the defensive, voices are raised, tempers flare, and the relationship suffers. More importantly, no, they really don’t remember. On the other hand, if they say “I think I’ll drive the car to the grocery store,” then intervention is required. Let their memory loss work in your favor. Distract them long enough and soon they will have forgotten all about the car. This is a technique that is helpful in all stages of AZD. Another good technique is to talk to the person about things that happened in their past, go over old photographs, play to their strength, their LTM. They will be more comfortable and so will you. Plus you may learn all kinds of neat stuff while they are reminiscing. R.

Issues

Yes, Suzanne, personal hygiene is on the agenda. Tabu will only get you so far. I mean how do you make an 80 year old woman trying to control what's left for her to control do something against her will? Also she has recently decided that she can take her own medication. I checked the pill box, every compartment was a wrong pill/dosage. I'll brainstorm with anyone who has a suggestion short of "Helen, you smell bad" 'Most likely she'll get a bladder infection with it's attendant hallucinations. G-mail robndor@gmail.com if you don't want it on the blog. R

Rob, thank you for the info. But unless I just read it too fast, it didnt mention a day or time. I dont want to "crowd" mom. But I do want accurate information. I trust you to do that if you are going with her.
I spoke with her yesterday evening ( 3/22) for about 15 minutes about her trip to Maggies, her trip home, Andrew and Sarah, etc..... I had the impression she never really knew it was me ( or who I was )

Also, after I talked with mom, I called Maggie to see how she felt mom was doing. One concern of Maggies is moms personal hygiene health. She wont bath.

oh yea, this is Suz

Dr. Appointment. Wednesday 3/31, 2:30

Helen will be seeing Dr. Monica Crane, a geriatrician in the same office in the old Baptist Hospital where the family went the last time she had an appointment there-6th Floor. Just take a right off the elevator then keep making left turns until you get to the Geriatric Assessment Program (GAP).

Helen said anyone can come, but she doesn't see why. Helen is fine, It's just time for her regular check-up. Nothing to get worked up about. Really. It's not in response to some crisis. Cindy booked the appointment a month ago. Helen is doing quite well.

However, for those of you who choose to come, here are a few strong suggestions:

Never, ever talk about Helen in the third person (she did that, she's not been doing this) when she is in the room. Not only is it bad manners, it makes Helen "feel like an object" as she put it. And only one person speaking at a time.

If you can't come, don't, as everyone tends to talk to Helen at the same time about different things and it confuses her. I will post an objective summary that evening of the visit. There won't be 5 different versions of what happened, Suzanne, but don't let that stop you from coming. Amy has to work that day.

No "Mom, you must, or need, or you should". It is demeaning and, if I know Helen, a waste of breath as well.

Try and keep the visit short, calm, and peaceful and to the point.

Dr. Crane went way out of her way last time because we took up time she had scheduled for other patients. I don't think we should expect her to do that again.

Whoever is with Helen, that person should explain what is going on as she goes through her exam. The office is waaaay out of her comfort zone, and she'll need things explained, if only to keep her oriented. Don't talk to her as if she was a child, because she isn't

Finally, don't crowd her. respect her "space" the same way you want others to respect yours. R,

I too would like to know date and time of mother's dr. appointment. I also would like to be there.

Would someone please advise when mom's next Dr's appointment is. I would really like to go. Rob, I appreciate all your imput.

Table of Contents

The material which I will be posting will be a combination from The Savvy Caregiver and The 36 Hour Day. A topic will be introduced, why it is, how it manifests itself, and what the proper response is now since you know why the behavior is there in the first place. For instance, Helen's recent "shoplifting" is not an uncommon symptom of people with AZD. Why did she do it? She may not realize she is in a store, something may have caught her fancy and she forgot that you go to the checkout register before you can have whatever it was she walked off with. Gently guiding her verbally through the checkout tasks. There really are a lot of separate tasks involved, if you think about it. Bottom line? Helen for some reason (and there are many) is like a little 5-year old in the toy section. As I recall, my own mom's solution was to put my hands in my pockets and keep them there until we left the store. Telling Helen to do that won't work, but giving her something to hold in her hands while shopping might. Future posts will be as follows: memory, language, reasoning, judgement, perception, abstractions, attention, and organization.

After that I will give examples of behavior motivated by the intellect and by the emotions and how to interpret the behavior and intervene, especially as we get deeper into the 2nd stage. A little knowledge goes a long way toward understanding/helping Helen and her Alzheimer's. R

As much as I hate to admit it, I think it's pretty clear that Helen is well into the early middle stage of AZD. I also think that if she is left in her rapidly shrinking comfort zone, let her sit in her chair and read her books and watch her Westerns, she'll be just fine. I agree with Amy 100%. Not many people are contributing to the blog. Yes, I need the information, but so does everyone else that comes into contact with her, so as to avoid or not make possible an adverse effect on Helen.

Come Saturday, I will make a list of how and how not to deal with Helen. It is from The Savvy Caregiver, Which the Downtown Library will ship to any Knox Co. branch. Free. If you asked me, I would say it is "recommended watching" esp.since Helen is getting the middle stages of AZD. Knowing the information in these DVDs will help you communicate and deal with the adverse behaviors that are just beginning to show themselves. I don't think a doctor's appointment would be out of line. Plus it will make interacting with Helen easier for her. R.

On the plane

I just found out yesterday, 4th or 5th hand, that Helen had a problem on the plane. I called Maggie after they had arrived and was told that "everything was fine" when it wasn't. I expect Helen was in the room and she c/n/ tell me.

Helen's distress is a result of the AZD symptom of not being able to think in the abstract. Like a small child who cries when mom steps into the next room, thinking he is all alone, so too with Helen, who, in her perception of reality thought that since Maggie was out of sight, she had abandoned her. It's an "out of sight out of mind" sort of thing. More evidence that Helen 's Alzheimer's is worsening.

To avoid any further stress on Helen, Cindy is flying to Texas and will fly back with Helen at her side. I was afraid that Helen and Maggie would be in different parts of the plane and should have said something, but I didn't. R.

This is Sunday am. I called Mom and Maggie last night to see how their flight went and check on them. Maggie told me how they had to page her. Mom was REALLY upset when she didn't have Maggie by her side. That broke my heart. To continually see my independent, self sufficient mom digress to the point where she gets scared when she finds herself alone and in unfamiliar surroundings is beyond sad.
I called Maggie and Mom back and told them that I am driving down to pick her up whenever she is ready to come home. Mom was really glad I would be coming to get her.
So, don't anyone worry. She WON"T fly back.
Becky

Sunday

Reality bites

Ok folks.... it's time everybody knew some happenings. I don't know why no one wants to air the dirty laundry. This is what this little blog is for !
Mom has started stealing. Whether she just forgets that she has something in her hands and walks out of a store or whether she is being shifty, there is no way to tell. But it is a symptom of this disease process. It isn't pretty. It is the reality.
Mom'll fool you. You can sit and chat with her and she'll seem fine. She isn't fine. She is never going to be fine again. You MUST know that and accept it.
Apparently she panicked on the flight to Texas when she didn't see anyone she knew. Aunt Maggie had to get the stewardess to switch seats for her so that she could sit beside mom. I am not sure it is safe for mother to fly back from Texas alone.
This is a long downhill slide, my brothers and sisters. It doesn't get better.

I set this blog up so that all of us could talk to each other in an open forum. It wasn't set up for Rob to simply report the occasional event.

Please post. If we all share the knowledge then the reality might be a LITTLE easier to deal with. But no way is it gonna be easy.

Please communicate. We are lost without communication. And it is for Mother's benefit, her safety, and her continued good health that I am asking for your input.

I love you.
Amy

So, where is the $800 ?

Tuesday morning, when the weather turned bad, I went out, left Helen and Maggie's lunch and hightailed it home. Dorothy called and said not to go back out. I wish I had not agreed with her advice. Instead I lay down and promptly went to sleep. While I slept. Brad [Gary's son] and one of his friends came by to visit Helen. This, after I had blessed Brad out telling him never to come back again. Helen and Maggie had just returned from Sun Trust, Helen having $800 which she counted and placed in her wallet in full view of the two visitors. When they left, the $800 was gone. But don't judge too quickly yet.

Maggie sat with a full view of the table where Helen had placed the wallet the whole time the two boys were there. Neither of them went near that area of the room, near Helen's chair.

What we may be looking at is a classic Alzheimer symptom. The person puts something somewhere special 'for safe keeping' and then forgets where they put it. This is Maggie's read on the thing, and she's pretty sure that is what happened. If someone took the wallet, Maggie would have seen it happen. Money has been "lost" before-without company. We all know this. We may find every penny of it in one tin or another.

On the other hand we may have two young thieves on our hands. I have a difficult time seeing Brad and his friend come over to "visit." The friend wanted to see the whole house. Helen showed him every room, every door. Was he casing the joint? I honestly do not know.

Did Helen forget where she put the money (again), I do not know either. R

Aunt Helen ?< !?&*?@#

Mom has been talking, often lately, of people she remembers that were important to her years ago. Last Fri. at lunch, she mentioned 2 or 3 times that her youngest brother's widows name was Helen. She thought that was pretty incredible that her brother would have married someone with HER name.
Yesterday Maggie took Mom to see Aunt Helen. When talking to Mom last night, I asked her how her day went. She replied "good, we went to see my youngest brothers widow.....and can YOU believe her name is Helen too !?"

What Time is it?

This morning at 5:30, Maggie was awakened by Helen who asked her "are you going to sleep all day? It's almost sundown!" That would suggest Helen was up all night thinking it was day. That's a pretty major disorientation. She and Maggie are going to Kennesaw, GA. to see a cousin this weekend. Maggie still drives and I'll let her know that's imperative. Stay tuned.... R.

P.S.

Lest I leave on a depressing note, Helen improved back to her own best self as the week progressed. She and Becky did some serious shopping today and Helen was energized by it in a good way. R.

Monday Tuesday and Wednesday (and last Friday)

What a way to start the week. I called Helen Monday morning to tell her I would be late because my wife said "the roads are icy" and wait until later. My mistake was underestimating the extent of her Short-Term Memory loss as I explained that I would be a little late, but told her to take the green lid that said Monday on it and to take her medicine. Cindy went over there and called me saying that the whole week's worth was missing, she and I both went over there and found that Helen had put some pills back in the box. I don't know why that was, but there they were, back in the medicine box. Go figure.

Tuesday Helen had what I'm pretty sure was a mini-stroke the night before. She was rummaging through about 20 photographs over and over and over, forgetting pictures she had just looked at. Plan A was to engage her in conversation but she would not take her attention off the pictures. It was as if I wasn't there, which was disconcerting. Plan B, a television western, which finally got her focus off the pictures and after that she was better, just not completely. It was decided that I would stay with her 24 hours a day.

Wednesday I heard her making noise about 4 a.m. but her bed blanket was already folded up and I'm not %100 sure how long she had rummaged around the house as if she was looking for something. It is my opinion that that is exactly what she was doing as all of the things she kept from her scavenger hunt were old memorabilia of Ed as a little boy, Ed's father and mother, grandfather and grandmother and some photos of her children. We sat together on the couch while she explained each picture to me. Bottom line, in my opinion she was hunting Long-Term Memory stuff which also is why I come there in the morning, I notice things rearranged.

Also, Friday the 12th, she had turned on and left on all 4 stove eyes and was nowhere ti be found. There was enough water still in the 2 teapots to save them. Not good. Another reminder that her Short-Term Memory loss really quite extensive, but there are times when it's better and times when it's not. It seems that morning that she had gone off with this country singer named Billy Byrd. Where they went and why I don't know. They were at Sun Trust bank. I know that much, as Helen came home with her usual $800 in 10s and 20s but nothing more.

I apologize for not posting more frequently. I just forget (is AZD contagious?) and will be posting more frequently in the future. Meanwhile, give Helen a phone call when you can. She likes hearing from her kids. R

I took Mom out to eat last night. We both love lamb chops and creamed spinach from The Chop House. So, off we went. It was a good night. As we were waiting for our meal, we enjoyed the small loaf of bread we are always graced with. Mom commented on how that was the BEST Rye bread she had ever eaten. It wasn't rye at all, but I just agreed with her anyway. She was surprisingly "with it" all evening. She got relatives confused...who was whose cousin and what were their names. She remembered Polly's husband Ott as dying a couple of months ago and that Polly was now living by herself. The reality is....Ott died many many years ago.
When we got back to her house the weather had turned much colder. Mom brought her coat into the living room and offered it to me. She said "look, I want to show you something I just discovered". As she was demonstrating, she told me that if you put your long sleeve in your hand and held onto it, then you could put your arm in your jacket without you sleeve riding up your arm. She was really proud of herself figuring that out. I replied "Wow Mom..what a great idea !!!
And as always..I took her to get her English Toffee coffee treat to enjoy later.
Becky

Thanks

Just a note to thank all of you who took up the slack during my procedure. I'll return to Helen's Monday. Thanks also to the Creator who created the birds that are giving Helen so much pleasure lately. They really bring her out of herself in a good way. She can be "inside and outside" at the same time when it's too cold to go outside. Popcorn seems to be their favorite. Need to keep that on hand. The finches and their new feeder will be just that much more joy for Helen. We actually have a greater variety of them during the winter. Prayers requested for Cindy from everyone. R.

Last Thur. was a beautiful day, so I decided to get Mom out of the house for a little excercise and fun. First we went to lunch. Mom couldn't decide where she wanted to eat. So, I decided she would like going to Rankin's. I had taken her there in the recent past she enjoyed reminicing. This time I took her it saddened her. All she could do was to sit and glare. Drawing her back into the here and now, I asked her what she was thinking about. She said she was just remembering that Charlie Carte and Daddy used to eat there everyday....and how Charlie betrayed Dad. So, I won't be taking her there anymore.
After lunch we went to Habitat where she found a couple of "goodies". Then we were off to the mall to get her nails done. Walden's book store is going out of business and Mom found a few books on sale there 60%-80% off.
She had a REALLY good day of finally getting out of the house. She's tired of this cold weather...same as we all are.
Til Later,
Becky

As I See It

AD continues its slow, steady invasion of Helen's brain. Thank God Scott got that one button coffee maker. She is shying away from all machines. She can't play her Don Williams anymore, she doesn't know which buttons to push. Same with the other appliances. Aside from reading, I can see when I go there what she does when she is alone in the evening. She straightens the house. She moves books/DVDs/Videos to different places and stacks them very neatly. I may start companioning a bit more, now that I know Dorothy can take a day twice a month so I can recover myself. The job is tedious. I mean, just being there, but you know all that. It's just that she needs another human being there and not be wandering about the house all alone straightening things. Amy found an excellent book dealing specifically with the early stages of the disease, although we may not be "there" that long if the current pace of the disease doesn't slacken. Her comfort zone is shrinking. She doesn’t want to go anywhere. Perhaps that’s the weather of late, perhaps not. She does want new fingernails put on. One of you women folk may want to do that, though I will. It is, after all, something she wants to do and it will get her out. The weather forecast is good for this week. (1/11/10)

Basically, any new thing/situation or information is what she can't assimilate. I'm not even sure she is understanding 100% of my end of our conversations as she doesn't pick up on the fact that I've changed the subject. So having said all that, I'm still using a "loose rein" approach to my companioning, letting her control what she can control, and do the lengthening list of things she can't do anymore myself...except give her a bath, of course, which she has quit doing also. She's showing the same exact symptoms that are in every book about the disease. The course of the disease is relatively predictable save for what time any new symptoms will manifest themselves, and they will. I wonder if she still does her own laundry? I'll ask Amy.

Good Day

Just thought I'd enter an upbeat post for a change. Today, Monday the 4th, Helen had a perfect day. She was well-groomed, her appetite was good, her memory was good, her mood was good. It was just a good day all around. R.