CAREGIVER NOTE:
We took a long walk down memory lane yesterday — several hours of stories with slight embellishments with each retelling. He was all smiles and a bit of laughter as he shared. After he finished, he sighed and wanted to rest. His gait is more of a shuffle now and he would rather hold onto the walls and furniture as he moves around rather than use the walker which he strongly suggests is a hindrance rather than a help. He will take an arm or a shoulder for extra help if it is offered.

He is still in love with his talking watch and he was checking it about 2am this morning. He was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t any later than it was, but went back to sleep after about 5 minutes of near constant checking and recognizing that the time hadn’t changed much.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
I think I jinxed us. Sundowning and the vivid dreams made an appearance again and he was adamant about having helped his folks move to an apartment at the end of the street. From his description of the “experience,” he was back in his hometown. Thankfully, he didn’t demand a ride in the car to go check on them. He was able to settle down a bit after we reminded him he’d done everything he could to help them earlier in the day and they were probably exhausted and sleeping as he should try to do as well. We shared a list of things on the agenda for today with him and he seemed excited about helping check off a few of those things including his weekly trip to a favorite restaurant for a meal.

Fingers crossed for a good day and a better night ahead.

from the archives….

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Still not sleeping through the night – and the vivid dream made another appearance last night, but he was able to work through it without checking all the doors again last evening.

Not sure if cutting down on the amount of melatonin he is getting is contributing to the wakefulness at night, but we’ve seen a decrease in the amount of dizziness he is experiencing during the day. He hasn’t been complaining about being dizzy as much the last 3 days this week. So that’s a good thing. We’ve also been able to get him to drink a little more water and gatorade to keep him more hydrated. He’s been very good at supporting that as well. He’s even noticed a slight difference in how he feels. I’m glad he’s being supportive and willing to try a few new things.

He needed some help with a few memory related things yesterday, but other than that, he was pretty much spot on. He was able to complete his morning routine of getting dressed, making his bed and his morning hygiene. He selected what he wanted for breakfast, and his snacks for the day as well as lunch. He enjoys being able to make those choices and every once in a while throws in a zinger or two with some outlandish food choice that he knows we do not have on hand… He just laughs and then requests something else.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Yesterday was “tell a story” day. No repeats, just tell a long story that spanned years as if he’d lived it the day before. It was beautiful and lasted for nearly 2 hours.

today and every day.

that always dwells in your heart. 

CAREGIVER NOTE:

It takes a village at times. Grateful for the good support and more we’ve had this past week.