Forget or Fixate
Over the past few weeks Jim seems to have lost his middle ground. It’s either forget or fixate. The forgetting isn’t hard to deal with as a caregiver I’ve grown used to it. But holy-moly the fixation is unrelenting – Especially for things that cannot be accomplished immediately. It’s like they’re on a continuous …. Read More
Encourage Interests and Hobbies
I’ve probably talked about this before but it’s worth repeating. Help your loved one keep their interests and hobbies. Part of the helplessness I feel right now is because Jim doesn’t want to do anything. Even without the specter of Covid hanging over us, Jim isn’t interested in going out or doing anything. He’s …. Read More
Fresh Air
April showers bring May flowers. I live in the Pacific North West. Spring was happening before the season changed on the calendar. I grew up on the East Coast, where winter hangs on a little longer. For most of us, spring has started by this time of year. Even though they may not consciously …. Read More
Changing Seasons
We’ve had a warm snap. Normally April is filled with rainy days but this year, we’ve had over a week of sunny, tank-top and shorts weather. It’s completely baffled Jim. He seems to have lost his understanding of how months and seasons fit together. He’s fretting about how there are no leaves on our maple …. Read More
Managing Repetition
Jim’s short term memory is diminishing. I know, that was a rather, “well, duh yeah” statement since he has dementia but over the past month or so, I’ve noticed another change. There seem to be two types of repeated questions. 1) basic information that he forgets as soon as he hears the answer, such …. Read More
A Day In The Life
Every time we see the Leaf Filters commercial on TV or Jim sees the ad in the paper, he wonders aloud how much they’d cost. They’ve been doing an advertising blitz with off-season discounts. Honestly, I’ve been torn because having them come in to work on our house will be expensive but having the …. Read More
Everything Old Is New Again
My best friend sent me a birthday card a few years ago with the sentiment, I’ll be your friend until we’re old, gray and senile – and then when we forget each, other we’ll be new friends all over again. Jim is starting to forget our routines and some of the little things that …. Read More
Between 5 and 6
… and speaking of losing motivation, this post is late. Let’s just say it’s been a rough week. Or maybe it’s a week where all of those little straws that have been gradually lining up on the camel’s back, have suddenly become unbearably heavy. We’re on the cusp of the next decline stage in …. Read More
Overprotectiveness and Overcompensating
When Dad died, Mom had to re-familiarize herself with some of life’s basic skills. One of which was driving. Over the years, Dad subtly took over the task of driving and chauffeured Mom whereever she had to go. If she was going in to the church for choir practice, he’d say he needed to …. Read More
Sports Progress
Jim is a sports guy. He’s always been athletic and has played any sport available to him. In elementary school he played softball, in high school it was basketball and as an adult he played rec league basketball and pick up games of flag football. When his kids we young, he made sure they …. Read More