At the start...

When did this start? I am not too sure about that however I feel sure that George is in the early stages of dementia (maybe Alzheimer's). He has not been to a doctor about this yet.

Last year my elderly mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Until then I had little idea about this disease. I planned to take care of her at home (and had planned to start this blog then) but unfortunately this became too much and she had to go into a home this year.  She does not like the home at all and is certainly lucid enough to know that and let you know about it. I visit her at least twice a week to take her out and I have other people visiting as well so she gets visitors every day.

This year we have had the earthquakes which has not helped with anything like this but I must admit thinking at the time 'thank God Mum is in the home, I don't know how I could have coped with that as well as everything else'. I knew she was safe and well cared for. She had only been in the Home for a month when the earthquake hit...

Since the earthquake George has slowly started to show some of these signs.

• two weeks ago we were in Brisbane. We left the apartment building to go to some groceries. Not far into our walk (around the corner) George was finding it tough going. We were outside a tavern which advertised lunches. I suggested to him to go in and have lunch with a wine and wait for me. When I got back he had left. I got back to the apartment and he was not there either. I wondered where to go looking for him. There was a knock on the door and a woman had brought George home. He had gone to the wrong apartment building and she had rung around to find where he was staying! He did not know why he hadn't waited.
• Two months ago his car was 'stolen'. Five weeks later the thieves put the car in another car park ( he saw it). I took him to check the car out. It had not been stolen in the first place he had just parked it in a different car park.

This is my journey as a caregiver for my mother.

This is also my blog about George's journey into another world and the journey of the caregiver - me!

I hope that it may be of use to others in the same position.

George is not his real name.