Posts Tagged ‘Behavior Changes’
Mom used to be a “talker.” Not any more.
Mom’s had dementia for going on three years. She was always a conversationalist. We’d have long talks at night, and she could discuss ANYTHING until we were both too tired to keep going. Even after her diagnosis, she could talk, though less and less of it made sense. I know she has dementia, but it still felt like she was “there” in a way. Now when I visit, she just stares out the window, like she’s a million miles away. I know it’s just the disease, but it feels like a big BAD change. What should I expect and how do I deal with it?
Read MoreDad leaves the refrigerator door open all night!
My dad is in his late 70s and has dementia. It’s not that bad, but we moved him in with us a few years ago just to keep him safe. The problem is, he gets up at night and wanders into the kitchen for a snack. Sometimes he gets one, sometimes not. But he will walk up to the fridge, open the door, and just stare at it for 20 minutes. After that, he walks away, leaving the door open. Yesterday I had to throw out some chicken I had thawing for dinner because everything in the fridge was like 50 degrees! How do I stop this?
Read MoreMom’s gone off the deep end!
Mom’s had dementia for some time now and lives in home. I knew it was time to move her there when she was getting lost in her own house, leaving food in the microwave for days, and no longer knew how to drive her car. But lately, things have gotten worse. She thinks there are little people living in a secret room (her closet) who steal her chocolates and move things around when she’s not looking. And she talks gibberish! I’m wondering how much of this can be addressed vs accepting it as the new, screwed-up normal. It’s more than a little unsettling, to both Mom AND me.
Read MoreMom’s a “walker”, has fallen, and it’s scaring me.
Mom was diagnosed with dementia about a year and a half ago but still lives at home, as it’s not that far advanced and someone is always with her. She walks…A LOT. Not to the mailbox or the kitchen, but aimless walking. I’ll ask her what she needs, and she’ll say “nothing.” If I ask where she’s going, she doesn’t know. What scares me is that she’s fallen 4 times in 2 months, and one of them broke her wrist. I got her Hipsters so she doesn’t break a hip, but the thought that I have to watch her 24×7 to make sure she doesn’t break a bone is freaking me out.
Read MoreDad’s a holy terror.
Neither Mom nor Dad can care for themselves anymore. When Mom’s mental health declined, she took well to living in a memory home, and before Dad’s dementia diagnosis, my dad was a quiet family man. He never raised his voice or got temperamental about anything. Now for some reason, he shouts at everyone. I’ve never seen an old man so upset, and I’m wondering if it’s just decades of repressed anger or if it’s something to do with the disease. I’ve talked to friends whose parents had dementia, and none of them report this kind of behavior. What’s actually going on here?
Read MoreDad wears pajamas all day and doesn’t change clothes for a week.
After Mom died and it was clear that Dad couldn’t live alone, we moved him to a senior living place that lets residents age-in-place. They have dementia care housing and that’s where he is now. Lately, Dad sits around all day in his pajamas and won’t change clothes for a week. The staff don’t seem too concerned. I think it’s unsanitary and verges on neglect. Who’s right, and what do I do about it?
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