Alzheimer's Disease Support Group
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration with declining activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. An early symptom is memory loss (amnesia), usually manifesting as minor forgetfulness that becomes pronounced with illness progression, with relative...
Well, I guess we've slid down the hill a bit....
used to be that my husband would forget me , sometimes, well that past 2 days he is forgetting me pretty much all the time. He is much more anxious for more of the day. When I ask him to look right at me and ask him who I am, he pauses, and says, slowly, uhm, you're my partner? or he calls me his 'other half', sometimes he calls me his wife. He is even more frantic and obsessive about following me around. I mean now if I just get up out of my chair he gets up too! It used to be he would get up and follow after about 5 minutes but now it is immediate. He doesn't know my name but he also can't stand to be separated AT ALL.
used to be that my husband would forget me , sometimes, well that past 2 days he is forgetting me pretty much all the time. He is much more anxious for more of the day. When I ask him to look right at me and ask him who I am, he pauses, and says, slowly, uhm, you're my partner? or he calls me his 'other half', sometimes he calls me his wife. He is even more frantic and obsessive about following me around. I mean now if I just get up out of my chair he gets up too! It used to be he would get up and follow after about 5 minutes but now it is immediate. He doesn't know my name but he also can't stand to be separated AT ALL.
It must get terribly annoying to have him following you everywhere..
he must feel very insecure. Wouldn't it be great if we just know what was going on in their heads.
So sorry you are going through a big change.
I have this fear of my own that his daughters are mocking me because he doesn't remember me, which is just my own insecurities because as I've posted before they are hateful and don't even contact him anyway. Also, other people ask,' well, why bother, put him in a home, if doesn't even know you'...I know that's my insecurities again. But I believe that he does 'know' me he just can't express it, like he knows I'm very important to him, he just can't express how.
Also, I have started having to actually shower with him, not just stand outside and direct him, 'here's the soap. put it on you body'. Now I have to soap him, turn him around, rinse him, etc. He forgets how to use his toothbrush and I have to plug his razor in, turn it on and show him how to use it. Just a month ago I could tell him to go and brush his teeth and shave and he could.
Anyway, well, you all know how it is.
Oh, my goodness, I have to go, he just asked me if I was his other half and could he stay here with me? and now he is crying....
It must be so painful for you, just reading you last post brought tears to my eyes, I can really picture Neal like that.
He would let the water run over him for a few minutes then turn the water off and grab a towel and dry off. Starting
Sunday he now stands there until I come back and turn it off and hand him a towel.
The job is getting more exhausting.
Don't worry about his daughters. When they pitch in and help - then they can have an opinion.
RE: his daughters.....I know what I 'should' think and what advice I would give to someone in my shoes but it sure is hard to get rid of the feeling....I'm working on it.
Lots of love,
Sharon
I love it when our daughter is here IF she goes upstairs and visits wiht him but that doesn't happen very often...she will yell up hi and bye and 'love you poppy' but she doesn't really like to spend time around him...she is so slow to deal with things she doesn't like or that make her angry, hurt or uncomfortable and his alzheimers is definately one of those things.
That is EXACTLY what happens here and sometimes when I ask him to 'please sit down' it is a little snappier that it should be. AaHH.