Two Dimensions
I turned to my dementia expert for help with the struggle to wrap my head around mom’s sudden paranoia bloom. I understand a lot about mom’s limitations, but probably not, it turns out, exactly how limited mom’s perceptions are. Ellen explained that mom is starting to see me in two-dimensions rather than as a whole. […]
Adam’s Insights
Adam is likely the only person on the planet who knows my mom at least as well as I do, and likely better in some ways. As I mentioned before, we are the only two remaining people who, together, have context for the vast majority of her life. Adam and I talked further Friday morning, […]
The Visit
On Thursday mom’s oldest best-est friend from the 1950s visited her. It was no small feat given that he had to drive 6+ hours to get to our place the night before (not to mention he’s only in the states every other year). Mom’s dear friend also ran the summer camp my DH and I […]
Iconic Red Phone Book
In mom’s most recent voice mail to me, she accuses me of taking her red phone book, which she’s had since I was a kid. When she first went into care, she asked for it, and I told her I was unable to find it at either house. Her drive to possess that resource went […]
Furniture Move – Day 3, Part 4 – Voice Mail Transcriptions
Most of the “ums,” “uhs,” and stutters were omitted from these voice mail transcriptions to make them more understandable. Otherwise, they are 98.5% word-for-word. 8/14/18 5:23PM:I just got back, and found that you have moved all of my Island things in here, and I need to tell you that I am not at all happy […]
Furniture Moving – Day 3, Part 3 – More Misc
It was too dense a day for each detail to bubble up in one sitting… When the housekeeper and I were emptying drawers, she came across a stash of pills. At least a dozen of what turned out to be Tylenol, a Benedryl, and an capsule of undetermined ingredients. I handed these items over to […]
An Afternoon in The Life of Momagement Administrivia
I arrived home after a relaxing daughter/grandson visit, and then a spat of errands. The day’s mail was thick with what would take down most of the rest of my afternoon. There was a bill from mom’s dentist, which prompted me to call the retirement office of the university where she capped her career. You […]
Furniture Move – Day 3, Part 2 – Misc Observations
Other things observed while setting up mom’s furniture: All the gifts we gave her for her birthday are in their wrapping in the back of her closet with other things tossed in front of them. If it hadn’t been for hanging up clothes, I’d never have seen the gifts. We wonder if they’re there because, […]
New Word…
When sharing my mother’s behavior during my father’s last few days with the dementia expert I consult with (she could not stop picking at my dad’s mouth even when told by medical staff to cease and desist) I learned a new word: perseveration [pur′səvərā′shən] Etymology: L, persevero, to persist the involuntary and pathological persistence of the same verbal response or motor activity regardless of the stimulus or its duration. The condition occurs primarily in patients with brain damage or organic mental disorders, although it may also appear in schizophrenia as an association disturbance. It is caused by a neurological deficit. My expert further shared that perseveration is a coping […]
Furniture Move – Day 3, Part 1 – Paper
Yesterday morning after a big breakfast, and reviewing lists, multiple times, my DH and I set off on our individual paths. Staff at the AL community had the apartment emptied of their furniture with astonishing efficiency. I, with the help of the head housekeeper, emptied all the drawers, and then spent time going through the […]
Dementia Dance - Travels with Mom 