CAREGIVER NOTE:
Last night’s vivid dream was filled with laughter and a few smiles. It was such a different thing to listen to. Grateful to say the least — however, we still need a little more time for the adjusted meds to work effectively. Fingers crossed within the next couple of weeks we’ll experience the desired results.
POSITIVES:
Laughter
Good appetite
Supportive and caring conversations in the moment
CAREGIVER NOTE:
Much better day yesterday and overnight. Looking forward to sharing an update with the dr later today when she calls. The dizziness is a worry, so more watching and walking with him than we’ve had to do in the past since using the walker is still a resounding, “No.”
POSITIVES:
Video call from a grandson and great-granddaughter – meeting the great granddaughter for the first time
Short in person visit with an grandson that lives locally who’d come to help us with some yard clean up
Watched some football and stayed up with the game before listening to music for a couple of hours (nice switch up and his choice).
CAREGIVER NOTES:
We spent a little time outside yesterday — not much because it was rather warm, but he marveled at the color of blue in the cloudless sky. He did notice that the mountains had more color – reds, oranges and golds against the dark green of the pines and cedars.
He’s still fixated on something he sees as a problem — he had another “visit” with his uncle yesterday afternoon and he brought it up in our afternoon conversation for the second day in a row. The problem is worrisome to him and we haven’t found the right words to help him resolve it in his mind. Maybe today will be the day. Fingers crossed.
POSITIVES:
He was excited to hear that we were having ribs for dinner ( it is his favorite) and literally cleaned his plate.
Smiles in the morning – laughter before bed
No malfunctions in the bathroom yesterday! I’m not sure who was more happy about that — him or me!
CAREGIVER NOTES:
It was a tough day — two plugged receptacles in the bathroom and of course the accompanying overflow and dripping into the basement on the second go round. He doesn’t remember trying to flush a half roll of TP on the second overflow of the day. I do have to give him credit for trying to clean up a bit, however. Not sure if the mid-day vivid dream/hallucinations and ensuing conversation was the worst thing or not – however, grateful we just happened to have a virtual visit scheduled with his PCP and thankfully, the dr was willing to make an adjustment to his meds and hopefully, that will help as things go on. I’m very glad the dr is willing to listen and understands how dementia progresses and what her patients needs are and has compassion for their caregivers as they navigate this aging process as well.
POSITIVES:
HIs smile was big and broad for most of the day
He ate well during the course of the day – and asked for healthier snacks
Was interested and contributed to a couple of conversations and shared a laugh or two as well.
CAREGIVER NOTE:
Dr.’s virtual visit on the calendar today – regarding medications. It’s been 6 months since our last discussion and it’s time for a possible change in one of his meds as his dementia continues to deepen and other things pop up.
I do remember his first days with us and the huge differences between him and Mom just a couple of years ago. They were very challenging for all of us.
POSTIVES:
He shared some play time with the dog and was still mindful of the dog’s surgical site.
Lots of smiles and laughter during the day
Less anxiety than normal when he shared some details about a past incident with family
Share a hug today with someone you love today.
CAREGIVER NOTES:
He tried to pay rent by handing me a stack of underwear. Not sure where that came from, but he was worried about making sure he was contributing to his care.
He was living in the past for most of the day and into the evening.
CAREGIVER NOTE:
Lots of “what to do” yesterday and overnight. Nothing suggested seems to interest him and he has no idea of what he would like to do. We’ll try a couple of ideas today. Fingers crossed something will be of interest to him.
CAREGIVER NOTE:
He walked out the front door yesterday, if I hadn’t heard the door catch…..he might have gotten much further before I noticed he was missing – I was able to catch up with him just as he made it to the bottom of the ramp. By the time we walked back from the neighbor’s driveway, he was complaining about his hip hurting. His gait is more of a shuffle now. He still refuses to use the walker as a help. He needed help with his bedtime routine last evening — terribly confused.
POSITIVES:
He was conversational for a good part of the day and into the evening
He was really gentle with the dog and showed genuine concern about her incision site and making sure she was okay through the day
He enjoyed watching a show of his choice after dinner and seemed really drawn into it for a while, asking questions and responding so some of what was going on.
Greatitudes 