Yesterday or day before she made many many trips from her chair in the living room, down the hall toward the bathroom, u-turned and came back. She would sit for a minute or two and start over again. This went on for almost a hour. Today she was going from her chair to her rollator, about four feet away, back to her chair, back to the rollator. She sat in each about 5 seconds. This went on for about a half hour.
Just wondering what might be going on and how I might be able to help her.
Thanks to all! You’re a great group! God Bless!
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If I notice my wife getting restless the next few days I’ll make a doctor appt.
Perhaps the best thing about "outdoor therapy" is that it is instinctive, needs no verbal communication. All of us, as we age, miss the things we used to be able to do. I am not sure, but I think part of the Alzheimers is that the person loses the ability to rationalize that we cannot play tennis, but we can enjoy the memories. Getting your wife outside can help her experience another reality without needing to verbalize or connect her thoughts. Good for you.
If they aren't bothering anyone, not in danger of hurting themselves and seemingly ok with it. Let em go. For my mom it's getting her some exercise and she not sleeping all day. My problem with it r my issues. Took a long time for me to realize that but shes not hurting anything... so I let her go and hopefully it will go away on its own again.
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You have received great answers, so I won’t repeat their answers. I just want to say that you are a sweetheart. You are a loving and caring husband. God bless you.
My wife would do the same for me if our roles were reversed.
Does she ever go out, even just outside? Do you ever have visitors?
I've had elderly clients who did nothing but sit, watch tv, eat, day after day. They would often get very restless because they'd get a burst of energy and have nothing to do. Sometimes just going outside for a walk around the yard makes all the difference. Can your wife be taken outside? Or maybe for a drive? Just getting outdoors for a little while helps.
Her daily activities? Watching tv. Visitors? They fell by the wayside when they found it difficult for them to carry on a conversation with her.
Because of what you said I will make more of an effort to get her outside. Y’all are my witnesses to that, ok?
Mom began doing the "antsy pants" about 3 years ago.. I would take her for walks, hours long drives and sit on the porch. Nothing worked. I had her checked for a UTI and that wasn't the issue.
It was the progression of her dementia. Soon after the walking, it turned into wandering. I had to put alarms and locks on the doors because she would just take off with no particular place in mind.
Someone, on another thread, had mentioned playing a loved ones favorite music. I wish I would have read this a long time ago but maybe I was meant to simply share this here and now. Playing the music is thought to sooth and comfort the incessant anxiety in individuals.
Quick prayer said for you and your family and friends....
I live in New Orleans. We are known for our extremely talented musicians. Many musicians here have joined together, volunteered by visiting people in hospitals and hospice houses. Many patients have sited their pain and anxiety were drastically reduced, due to hearing music.
So, I feel that your comment about music is dead on! Music is not only soothing and enjoyable, it can be a form of therapy. It truly does feed our soul. It successfully works on our emotional and physical responses. I know whenever I was troubled as a young person, I immediately listened to my favorite music and it transported me to a better place.
I had the same experience with poetry. I used to ride my bicycle to the library and read poetry. I will always love music, poetry and all forms of art. I took art in school and continued taking classes even after graduating. I hate that some schools have cut the budget for art and music. We are fortunate here in New Orleans to have NOCCA, (New Orleans Center for Creative Arts) which is a phenomenal school for talented youth. I am so proud of the graduates from this school and it’s wonderful to see them thrive in careers that they love. Several have won Grammy awards.
She says she doesn’t know why she gets so restless. She has a problem and I want to “fix” it. In this case there may not be a “fix”.