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.

explaining the ups and downs

Hope, et. al. In most (not all) cases, Alzheimer's moves steadily and inexorably (like a glacier) and behavioral changes are only noted over time. What seems to be happening now are mini-strokes. I, too, have witnessed scenes such as you describe just last week, like an angry "who are you and what are you doing in my house" look and others, like telling Scott to get a plumber to fix the toilet then giving Gary money to go buy a new toilet 10 minutes later. It was all very upsetting. Mini-strokes alter behavior when they happen, "all of a sudden" if you will. But then, you still have AD at work too and it can at times be hard to distinguish which one is the culprit. Both, I suppose. Like I said, the CT scan was extremely telling. There is a lot (and I mean a heck of a lot) of mini-stroke damage and also a heck of a lot of AD damage as well. It left me wondering how is Helen even functioning and fretting about how much worse this is going to become over time.

It is emotionally hard as heck on me and you all, too. An RN with clinical depression caring for a loved one with progressive dementia. It would be comical if it didn't hurt so.

Hey Rob,
Thank you for the information. I did not know that mother has had mini-strokes. Some how I got out of the loop on that one. It causes me to wonder what else I might have missed.
Last time Sam and I visited Mother (Dec. 5 and 6) she exhibited some behaviors that were really a lot more pronounced than they have been before. I caught her looking at Sam once or twice in a way that made me think she was having trouble remembering who he was. She looked a little scared. So I used his name in the conversation and she seemed to relax.
And then she told us the story of how she and Daddy met, fell in love, married, lived on Thompson Place with Grandad. Of course we know she repeats things but this time she repeated the story almost word for word immediately after she finished the first account of it. I enjoy listening to her stories about the love she and Daddy shared ; I'm glad that that is the way she remembers her life with Daddy. I tend to remember Daddy with fondness myself.
The other happening was Saturday night. Scott had come to visit us and check to see whether Mom had taken her medication. It was around 8:30 to 9:00 . He stayed for 45 minutes or so just chatting with all of us. He left us around 8:45 to 9:30. About 10 minutes later Mother picked up the phone, called Scott (who was in bed already) , and told him that we were visiting and and asked if he wouldn't like to come over and visit with us . I don't know what he told Mom but he seemed to satisfy her. She didn't seem confused or hurt after she hung up the phone. As it was getting late we all said goodnight and went to bed - while Mother chose the couch.
Anyway, we took Mom out to Cracker Barrel on Sunday and she seemed to have a good time.
I know Sam and I did. Mom seemed to have a hard time remembering it was Sunday but that was easy to deal with - who really cared if it was Saturday or Sunday?!
Sam and I will try to come up to visit again early in February. And as always, we have you in our thoughts, and are grateful for the time and tender care you give our Momma.
Sincerely,
Hope and Sam Peeples