CAREGIVER NOTE:

A walk around the garden late yesterday afternoon. He noticed the squash and pumpkins still on the vines, though not quite ready to harvest. A few tomatoes that are still too green to pick and was disappointed that there wasn’t any corn to take in and cook for dinner. The peach tree has just a few pieces of fruit clinging to the highest branches and the apples are beginning to turn red. He senses the change in the season as the days start much cooler and the sky darkens sooner.

He got a bit turned around last night in his room. He couldn’t find his way out. He couldn’t find the door. We went through a list of things he might need before going back to sleep. He seemed happy to know there was a door and he wasn’t locked in and the door could be left open for a little more light to come in.

He’s recognizing a “fuzz” as he calls it in his brain. He knows can’t remember things and can’t process thoughts clearly. It bothers him a lot. He’s sharing stories I haven’t heard before — but often gets stuck at a certain point and that portion of the story is repeated numerous times with just a few minor changes here and there. Hoping for stories again today…. sharing them makes him feel a little more alive.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

When things don’t quite flow as you’d like…. there’s been some “nigglin'” going on in his head the last 48 hours. He’s worrying about some things. We weren’t able to provide the answers he wanted or ease his thoughts much. Hoping today is a better day and we can find a few things he’s interested to keep his mind from going to the worries again.

Each step brings you a little closer to your end goal. 

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Improvise and find a way around or through.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Sometimes, it just takes a different voice to get things going in a different direction. Grateful for the second voice yesterday that was able to get him up and moving. Afterwards, he was happy to have spent some time outside and around the garden. He noticed things that had been previously missed… and helped harvest most of the corn. He was anxious to make sure it was shucked and prepped for preserving (in the freezer) in short order to keep it as fresh as possible. He enjoyed a good evening.

Where will you let your dreams take you?

CAREGIVER NOTES:

Allow the dreams to be fulfilled if you can. We talked about a few of the recent dreams and what we could do to make them happen. He wasn’t sure that he’d be able to do what was needed, but was open to suggestions of how those parts might be taken care of by others. One pressing dream he wants to complete if possible: A family pedigree chart going back a couple more generations…. despite many years of searching he’s not been able to find information beyond his grandfather on his paternal line…. so, we spent several hours on Sunday searching different databases for a few names, but still came up empty. We tried a few collateral options, but to no avail. We thought of some additional options to try in the next few days and he seems satisfied that maybe we can find at least one lead that could open a door to find the information he’s seeking.

bring happiness and joy your way.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
Dementia sucks! It’s taking its toll and we are very aware that it is progressing a little faster now. New challenges for all of us every day. His highlight of the day yesterday was to sit by the garden and watch the cornstalks grow a little taller than they were the day before.