General Chat

IT'S HARD WORK AND SCARY AT TIMES
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I suggest ringing her psychiatrist or whoever is in charge of her case and asking if she can have an assessment at home or maybe get her into respite care in an EMI home, the experts can then help out with practical advice.

Alzheimers is a cruel, wicked disease that affects the loved ones as much as the sufferer.

Mum used to ask to go home when she was home, talked to Dad long after he had died and frequently asked where her own Mum was, I always said she had gone to the shops and would be back later......it seemed to work.

<3and respect to all of you.....it's a long, hard road ahead, but there will be many ups as well <3

C is on medication, due for revue later this week. Nights are the worst... sleeping meds not seeming to work any more, melatonin has been suggested.

Why I am asking today is because last night after having a good couple of hours out with her & my daughter at a garden centre, on our arrival back on my drive she asked if her husband was there. When we said that he had died several years ago, she said "I know but I have another man in my life" we suggested that he was her son but she was not convinced. My daughter after several nights with little sleep, as she alternated between going to C & listening to her 'chatting' over the 'baby monitor, got very upset.

If anyone is struggling, or even coping well but wanting to share information I can recommend The Alzheimer's Society Talking Point forums.

They were a lifeline for me for a long time before and after Mum's death.

My dad had cerebral sclerosis, which is a form of dementia.

As he lived alone, I'm unsure if he spoke out loud to imaginary people, although I do know that he used to have hallucinations, some of them logical such as talking to tradesman, some bizarre like seeing young ladies dancing on his lawn!

Your daughter seems to be coping at the moment and is probably doing the right thing to ground her using distraction techniques. Mind you, if it wasn't inconvenient, we used to go with the flow just as you would when a child wanted to have a tea party with their imaginary friend.

It might be worth checking with the GP to see if any medication can be adjusted.

Any one who has close dealings with dementia sufferers knows that the condition can seem worse in the evenings, the so called Sunset Syndrome.

Very familiar Carol....Mum had these happenings on and off for years.

I went along with them as I did with everything else, as her reality was hard for her to cope with sometimes and me saying there was no-one there would have frightened her even more than she sometimes was.

It seems to be caused by old memories popping up in their minds that are getting more and more tangled.

When Mum was cross with them, I told them to go away, when she was happy, I joined in the conversation..............anything that made her happy was fine by me :-)

There came a time where she was distressed by them and the psychiatrist put her on medication, can't remember what it was called, but it is given to sufferers of schizophrenia, it worked well with no side effects.

It's worth having a word with her doctor, in case one day she is upset by her "friends"

Take care of yourself.

xx

My great Aunt was a geriatric nurse so when she started to show signs of Dementia she was well aware of what was happening to her.

She was very philosophical about it.

She reminded us that although we might find her decline upsetting, she herself would in the later stages be totally unaware of what was going on.

The best thing to do is remember your family member as they were. Look on the who they are now as a totally different person.

Carol, is she on any form of medication ?

My Mum used to have conversations with people when she was taking pills to calm her down as she used to get dreadful violent rages.

I am afraid it was all so long ago, I can't remember what they were.

Dad used to see and talk to people when he was on morphine but I don't suppose that is the case with her.

I think it may be quite normal, there is an old chap who lives up the lane who walks past deep in conversation, seemingly with himself.

It's a terrible thing, Alzheimer's.

M.

I know there is an old thread but the last entry was 2010.




My daughter's mother in law could no longer live safely in her own home, so came to live with them last November. In the early days she settled well, though still thought she was in her old town. It helped that she thinks I am an old friend...even though I had only known her a couple of years & then only met when we visited my daughters house at the same time, but has meant that I could provide them with a little respite care.

She is now seeing/chatting to people who we cannot see, even pausing while they reply. We are just ignoring this & changing the subject... offering tea seems to be the best way.

Is there anyone else on here who has/is coping with this.