Living in the past? Sometimes just seeing things...

This morning she got up and looked the house over for her grand-father who passed away in 1962.  She grew up here in this house with her grand parents.  She got real agitated and thought something had happened to him.  I don't know if I should remind her that these people are gone or not.  She's a very religious person and the thought that her family has gone on to a better place usually seems to soothe her.

This "boy" though, I can't figure out who it is.  She was just so adament that he was not sleeping with her.  Maybe it's something she is imageing instead of someone I can figure out like her grandfather, or aunt martha. 

As far as physically ill, she doesn't have a fever and goes to the bathroom what I would consider the appropriate # of times a day.  Her appetite is actually better than it has been in weeks.  We don't have a car right now (she wreaked it right about the time she was diagnosed) so I can't take her in to get her checked out.  As far as health wise (coming from a non-medical person) she seems well.

Thanks for replying!

vivian

She takes Aricept 5 mg. daily.  I realize I can't expect it to be a miracle drug but it doesn't seem to be doing anygood.  I guess if I seen her without it I would change my tune.  She also forgets her family members.  If they are out of sight they are out of mind.  My uncle (her son) is in jail but she never asks about him for the most part.  But this morning she looked the house over for her grandfather who passed away in 1961.  I guess part of it is the fact that this is the house she's lived in her whole life and she was raised here by her grandparents.  For weeks she called the living room the bedroom and I figure its because when she was a child it was the bedroom.  It's like you never know what's going to happen the next day, isn't it?

Aricept and namenda only delay some behabavior problems so one can keep the patient at home for 6 months - 18 months more without difficulty; e.g., without them being violent and combative.  It does not seem to change the fact that Alzheimer's patients are declining. These drugs don't stop the progression of the disease. I guess their seeing things in the past is part of the disease. My FIL can even watch the TV program and tells you the animal from Animal planet is in the yard or living room for real! His memory can jump out to be real in the surroundings. As he gets worse, his vision or imaginaiton has become more and unreal and even hilarious. We have to deal with it and ignore it. One time the caregiver pretended to sweep off the alligator (in  TV)! He cannnot watch TV without having distortion now so we make him watch just DVDs lately.  Sometimes some sense of humor helps!

Nina

Thank you for the information about the medication.  I wasn't aware that it was only supposed to be a delay.  She hasn't really been violent at all (except she tried to whip my Uncle twice when he was here and chased him up the road one day).  I figure I'll probably be next since he isn't here.

Again, I do appreciate the information.  Her doctor is a general practitioner and he talked with me a few minutes on our last visit but he just doesn't give me a lot of knowledge.

Vivian

I don't expect a GP to tell me anything concrete about Alzheimer's. My FIL's GP said nothing. In fact it was my FIL that asked for medications for Alzheimer's. Only the specialist will probably spend more time to tell you about Alzheimer's. (MY FIL's did a memory test through a psychiatrist or neurologist.) But so far no one really bothers to tell us the details. e.g., what the drugs are for.

We have to self-educate ourselves. I found all the info. from the websites.

Nina

Vivian and Sharon...  Sorry that this will be so long.

My mother, Bert, passed away in Feb 2008.  I have been researching the internet to find techniques that are working for other caregiviers - as I am doing a workshop at the Illinois Health Care Association Annual Convention in September 2008.  One of the topics I'm gather more information on is -- how caregivers can handle when a dementia resident says "I want to go home," of has a hallucination of some sort--so we can de-escalate the situation instead of making it worse.  

To give you some insight and perhaps a tool you can use...   "Seeing things" is something many Alzheimer's patients go through--at various stages of the disease.  My mother did most of her hallucinations early in the disease.  I think that was because she was able to work through some of the scenarios she 'saw.'  It seems that many re-live something they didn't deal with from the past.  Often they will 'look for' someone they haven't seen in awhile.  (One lady in my Mom's nursing home kept living through the death of her infant baby.  It was tragic - I heard many people deny her that - by saying "That happened years ago.  You are okay now."  She wasn't - it was happening for her 'right then,' it needed to be dealt with as if it were happening right then.) 

If you go along with it, they are able to deal with it and may eventually be able to 'put it to rest.'  If you deny it is happening or you tell them that they are wrong -- they hold on to it.  In other words, it cannot be resolved.

As an example, think about the last time you were really sad about something.  How would you have felt if someone said --"Oh, really!  Smile, it's not that bad."   They would be denying your feelings and what you thought was important.  Then, you have to justify why you are 'right' to have the feelings/ thoughts that you have.

I'm guessing it is the same with our loved ones who see things.  If we deny what they "see," we are telling them they are wrong.  Then they hold on to it longer. 

Here's what worked for me.  My mother went through a stage where she was looking for her parents.  She was almost crying as she looked for them around the house.  (Her parents had never been to my house and had died at least 20 years prior to her illness).  In her fretful state she said, "I can't find my parents!  I'm worried about them."  I said, "I know, I haven't seen them in awhile either. (pause) The last time I saw them they were fine.  (pause)  When I see them again, I'll let them know you are looking for them.  I'm here with you... why don't we ____________.   (I chose different things we could do:  eat some cookies and milk, watch a "Showboat" (her favorite), walk outside together and see if they are there, fold clothes while we wait.  Use many tools.  Some will work sometimes - some will not work and you can try something else. 

I hope this helps.  I'm sorry the explanation is so long.  My best to you in your caregiving.  Joining an Alzheimer's support group at a local hospital was a BIG help to me.

Dee Mayfield

I Wanna Go Home Training (t)

speakers-now@mchsi.com

Sharon,

I guess you and I are in the same boat.  My grandmother tries to find Knives but I hid them all about 1 1/2 months ago.  She told me if that boy came in there and tried to get in bed with her she was going to call the police and one time she told me she was going to take her fists to him.  I've been through this for several hours before too.  I'm not getting a lot of sleep (it seems like these episodes are always at night when the rest of the world is asleep!).

I don't know if you do, but I get afraid of what she might do sometimes.  I sleep with the door to my room locked but I can hear if she needs me or even if she's out of the bed.

I hope you have better luck at getting help than I have had.  She makes too much money for help from the Government but too little for us to hire private help.

Vivian

HEY THANKS FOR REPLYING, YES MY DAD IS IN SAME BOAT, TOO MUCH AND NOT ENOUGH, GOT DR. APPOINTMENT, TOLD HIM IT WAS A REFERAL, AND A DR. HE NEEDED, SEEMS LIKE WHEN HE SLEEPS WELL , HE HAS A BETTER DAY, BUT WHEN HE DOESN'T HE GOES OFF CRAZY, SEEING ROBBERS, OUT IN THE YARD, HE WENT OUT WITH A GUN THE OTHER NIGHT, I JUST LOCKED MYSELF IN ROOM TILL COP GOT HERE, HE WANTED ME TO CALL THEM, NOW HE IS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COPS.   GOT SOME ADVICE, ABOUT TAKING EVERYTHING OUT OF HIS NAME, AND THEN HE CAN QUALIFY, FOR MEDICARE, AND SECONDARY TO PAY FOR LOCK DOWN,  BUT I WILL TRY AND WAIT, AND SEE WHAT DOCTOR HAS TO SAY, AND WHAT PILLS HE PUTS HIM ON, HE NEEDS SOME SLEEPING PILLS, SO I CAN SLEEP, I CAN'T WORK REAL WELL ON 2 HOURS OF SLEEP, AND HE IS AN ASS SO MY PATIENCE WILL ONLY GO SO FAR THANKS,