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Reviews the calendar repeatedly

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Attempting to control.
As a sort of OCD pretender until I can upgrade to the REAL THING, I love my calendar. I mean, I can tell you how many years since Lionel died, how many years since we placed foster dog Lady Bear (and a legion of others), when I paid this bill, what I got from Amazon. This along with the usual appointments and plans. It is quite the thing. I am afraid I am destined to follow soon (I'm 82) in your loved one's footsteps.

I must tell you that one of my favorite things of my new year is the buying of the BEST CALENDAR out there, getting all the history written in, and getting it hung up on the wall.

And I will tell you how lucky you are, as well.
For those of us very familiar with dementias and the sort of obsessive-compulsive swirl involved, an obsession with Calendars sounds simply WONDERFUL.

Best out to you.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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freqflyer Jan 21, 2025
AlvaDeer, I thought I was the only one who loved buying a calendar. I have all the birthdays/anniversaries in Word, and I print out on labels, to which I cut to size to attach to the calendar.

As hubby and I get older, we rely very much on a calendar. I do find it is hard to buy a calendar that doesn't have slick paper which can get messy using a pen.
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Of all the obsessions one can have(and there are many)having a calendar obsession sounds like one of the least ones to be concerned about.
So count your blessings if that is all you have to concerned about with your loved one with dementia.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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My 105-yr old Aunt's house had calendars in every room (sometimes 2), as well as clocks (even in the bathroom). I think it's an attempt to keep themselves oriented (my Aunt still had amazing cognition and memory up until the end) but if your LO is struggling with memory and dementia, then this may explain it. Or, as AlvaDeer pointed out, it is part of OCD behavior that can come with dementia.
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Reply to Geaton777
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The person reviewing the calendar and taking notes constantly is losing their ability to remember things. This behavior isn't so bad. Let the person have their calendar and notebooks. If they start hoarding the old calendars and notebooks that say nothing, that's when you have to take some action.

My mother is a hoarder and is now old. My cousin and I had to get her home together a bit because I was leaving and homecare was starting. We threw away a garbage can (outdoor size) full of old calendars and old junk mail dating back to the 1980's. She never allowed anyone to clean out closets or storage spaces ever. We just went ahead and did it. You can't allow hoarding. If the person is just checking one calendar all the time, let them if it makes them happy and keeps them calm.
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Reply to BurntCaregiver
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My mom, early 90s and in ALF, is always making lists and notes. And she has a few calendars as well. Whenever I visit her, she gets her recent list out and reviews it with me. Her calendar is a major mess. One of her favorite phrases is “now let me write this down!” It used to annoy the heck out of me! I think it gives her some control and keeps her brain engaged.
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Reply to DD1963
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My own calendar hang-up is that for the last 25 years I have bought high-quality art calendars, justifying them as a tax-deductible ‘office supply’ when we were in business farming. I like to change things so that there is something new to look at, and I already re-use my favorites. I have a spreadsheet that tells me which years start January first on the same weekday as the current year, and which start March first (to allow for leap years), and I swap calendars around. At present over my computer I have two different Turners, both ‘sunset over the sea’. Just lovely.

Of course I miss out on all the records (which are now on a computer calendar), but my family learned to accept that I always forget birthdays, and I get reminders of what is coming up.

OP, I hope all this reassures you that calendar obsessions are not confined to dementia!
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