My Dad does not have dementia, but if he has any activity that takes him away from home or he has visitors, the next day he is exhausted. Wiped out exhausted. He will sleep most of the next day, getting up to prepare his meals but that is about it.
I often talk her about how my Dad, who does not have dementia reacts, because it can give others an idea of how a 90 year old may act or react to a situation.
What is different about Sunday that may impact Monday? The same applies to Wednesday, what is happening on Tuesday? Or what is different about Monday and Wednesday from the rest of the week?
Dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease is like that. I've noticed a pattern of 10-14 days of good period, followed by 10-14 days of down period.
During good periods, she can focus on a task, carry on a coherent conversation, ask relevant questions, even comes up with comments like "What about the property tax? Where is my driver's license? My favorite movie is on at 3:00 today!"
During the down periods, she can't focus long enough to address a greeting card or dial a phone number, she can't remember how to use the TV remote. Conversations have huge gaps because by the time she pulls up the words she wants, she doesn't remember what we were talking about.
In May this year, she was in rehab for a household fall and head injury. At the beginning of May, she was having visual hallucinations, sometimes thought the rehab room was in her house, and occasionally got confused between reality and TV shows. She moved to memory residence in the middle of May, and by the end of May, she was coherently arguing with me that she was recovered now and ready to go home, listing off all the things she could do to make home safer, even calling the lawyer and demanding to see paperwork from the memory residence.
A drastic change on one month! I was almost convinced! And of course I WANTED to believe she could live independently again. But I had already seen the cycle of good and bad periods even before the rehab, so I humored her as if I was going to help her straighten all this out, and she is still in the memory residence now, eight months later. She is safe, healthy, gained 10 pounds, and now has a boyfriend. They spend much of their day walking back and forth between their rooms to the dining area to see if it's time for the next meal, because they don't really understand time any more. I'm just patting myself on the back for insisting she stay at the memory residence instead of going back to her house--she would've last maybe 6 weeks back in the house before another disaster.
What is happening on Mon/Wed that isn't happening on Tues/Thur? My mom was not drinking enough fluids at adult day care and would have more cognitive problems after arriving back home. After getting day care to encourage more fluid intake and serving a favorite as soon as she got home, day care days became normal again.
Yes. I can certainly say that my uncle has some days that are better than others. Not to say that he has a schedule or anything-that would make life too easy for us. Some days he is practically “normal.” Almost back to his old self, but without the decision-making logic, of course. But he isn’t so angry and he is more talkative and seems interested in others- not so withdrawn and narcissistic as he normally acts. I have learned to be grateful for these small breaks but to realize they rarely last long. Count your blessings when then do.
Mother had good days and bad.Some days she was doing great and other days she slept all day or had a medical issue. I have good days and bad days too. I think everyone does.
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My Dad does not have dementia, but if he has any activity that takes him away from home or he has visitors, the next day he is exhausted. Wiped out exhausted. He will sleep most of the next day, getting up to prepare his meals but that is about it.
I often talk her about how my Dad, who does not have dementia reacts, because it can give others an idea of how a 90 year old may act or react to a situation.
What is different about Sunday that may impact Monday? The same applies to Wednesday, what is happening on Tuesday? Or what is different about Monday and Wednesday from the rest of the week?
During good periods, she can focus on a task, carry on a coherent conversation, ask relevant questions, even comes up with comments like "What about the property tax? Where is my driver's license? My favorite movie is on at 3:00 today!"
During the down periods, she can't focus long enough to address a greeting card or dial a phone number, she can't remember how to use the TV remote. Conversations have huge gaps because by the time she pulls up the words she wants, she doesn't remember what we were talking about.
In May this year, she was in rehab for a household fall and head injury. At the beginning of May, she was having visual hallucinations, sometimes thought the rehab room was in her house, and occasionally got confused between reality and TV shows. She moved to memory residence in the middle of May, and by the end of May, she was coherently arguing with me that she was recovered now and ready to go home, listing off all the things she could do to make home safer, even calling the lawyer and demanding to see paperwork from the memory residence.
A drastic change on one month! I was almost convinced! And of course I WANTED to believe she could live independently again. But I had already seen the cycle of good and bad periods even before the rehab, so I humored her as if I was going to help her straighten all this out, and she is still in the memory residence now, eight months later. She is safe, healthy, gained 10 pounds, and now has a boyfriend. They spend much of their day walking back and forth between their rooms to the dining area to see if it's time for the next meal, because they don't really understand time any more. I'm just patting myself on the back for insisting she stay at the memory residence instead of going back to her house--she would've last maybe 6 weeks back in the house before another disaster.
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I have good days and bad days too.
I think everyone does.