Probably been covered before, but sadly quite a few of us will suffer with some form of dementia as the years roll on. I worked for a number of years in Aged Care as Head of Maintenance at a medium sized nursing home, and in that capacity visited on a daily basis all the various areas in the home. We had a dedicated wing for dementia residents, and it can be a very rewarding but also very trying experience interacting with these people. The feelings of bewilderment, confusion, fear and anger these people endure on a daily basis can be heartbreaking. Yet others feel secure and safe in this environment and actually have a better quality of life than before they came to live in the facility. Families suffer as well. When Mum or Dad fail to recognize their children any longer, or once beloved grandchildren are now looked at without any recognition, the hurt in the eyes of those family members is very sad. I suppose the point of this post is to let you all know early warning signs of dementia. We all lose our keys, or our glasses and wallets and other sundry stuff on a daily basis. This is not dementia. But having the keys to the car in your hand and forgetting what they are for, then that is another story. That is a sure sign things are not right. Short term memory loss in another clear indicator. Some sufferers can tell you every minute of an event that happened 50 years ago, but cannot tell you what they had for lunch 5 minutes ago. So, take note of the behaviour of your partner, or Mum or Dad. Watch for the signs. There is no cure, but knowledge of what may be happening and preparing for the time that comes when they can no longer fend for themselves is the best prevention for all concerned. And please understand, if a loved one has dementia, what they say or do now is not who they really are. That person is still inside. They just have trouble finding their old self within themselves. They will always love you.
Heart attack or stroke used to be my fear of travelling alone ... now it is dementia.
However, this gives a slightly different perspective to those whose loved ones suffer the disease -
It was a busy morning at the clinic, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognised him in three years now.
I was surprised, and asked him, And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are? He smiled as he patted my hand and said:
She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."
Cheers - John
__________________
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
My mum suffered with this for many years before having a fall, breaking her hip, then becoming bedridden & passing away in a short period of time in August 2017.
Ironically as I post this, today would have been her 84th birthday
