Dog with a bone

George can be like a dog with a bone. Mum was the same. He has been on about a photo of Charlie Upham which he has been unable to find so every time he can he starts pulling stuff out - even the cutlery from the drawer - looking for it. Yesterday I printed off some photos for him (in desperation) on one A4 page. Before I knew it he was cutting it up and lost one of the photos! Searching then started all over again. I printed off another sheet and gave him a book to paste the pictures in. He then started to cut them out. By this time he had lost the book (still haven't found it). I tried to divert him and dished up tea. Every 5 minutes he would get up and start on the pictures again and I would have to suggest that he might like to finish his tea. This went on throughout the meal. It can be very frustrating - LEARN PATIENCE!!!

Sense of humour

It is important for those caring for people with Alzheimer's to retain their sense of humour. The Alzheimer's sufferers do some very funny things and it is nice to share some of these things with others. I remember when I was teaching that it is the same with kids and the teachers shared the anecdotes. As there is just George and me living here I sometimes share with the carers who come in to dress him in the mornings or with people in Mum's home. It actually needs to be with someone who has an understanding of the behaviours and the disease. I fully appreciate that before Mum I had little idea of what was involved but actually living with it is not something that others can readily understand without walking in the same shoes, like anything else such as fires, earthquakes and floods.

George is hallucinating a bit and the other night I saw him lift and imaginary phone and speak into it waiting for a reply. When he got none he carefully put the phone back. These hallucinations are very real to the person concerned. Seeing animals and children is very common.

My sister is visiting for 10 days and will be in Christchurch for the two weekends which means that I don't need to visit Mum on the two Saturdays so that saves me. She and her husband have gone for a trip down South to do a tiki tour. I plan to put George into respite care when the weather is warmer and do a similar trip on my own. Although it is not as much fun on your own it will be a lovely break. It is important for caregivers to take breaks so that they don't wear out.

Weekend blues

George does try to help but unfortunately it generally creates more work. On Saturday I wash the bed linen and let the bed air while I go to visit Mum. I went into the bedroom to find a sheet plonked on the bed and the duvet inner taken out from its cover, just what you need.

George is certainly not coping with toilet issues at the moment and often comes out of the toilet area carrying his pants. It is very difficult to know how to deal with things sometimes as often those with Alzheimer's really have little idea of the fact that what they are doing is not the way to do it.

Another thing I will have to watch is whether he is starting to see things which are not there. Yesterday he looked over the arm of the chair and said to the floor, "oh there you are, what are you doing there?" When I asked who he was talking to he told me it was the cat. At the time the cat was having something to eat in another room.

The down day

Today is a down day - this may because it is one of the days I go to see Mum and so he is on his own for a while. He got his onesie off last night but luckily no problems as he left the continence pants on. Yesterday I had to change them 4 times as he got them and his pants wet every time he tried to go to the toilet.

This morning he came out and said he didn't feel well but luckily felt better after breakfast and coffee. While I am away I leave him out food on the bench and put on a DVD for him. When I got back I found 4 odd shoes and slippers out in the lounge and several shirts out on the bed in the bedroom but luckily no toilet issues!! I always try to think of the positive parts otherwise you might not be able to handle things.

Walking

George has this new person to take him out once a week, Sabina. They go for a walk on the inland track in the sand hills which is great for him.

So far the onsie is working well which is a blessing at nights.

It is so interesting to see him daily as he is up one day and talking and coherently and then the next day he can be very confused. He loves to have someone to talk to. When my friend was here she sat and chatted to him quite a bit and went through his book of photos with him discussing the different photos. He becomes very animated when he has the attention which of course is something I can't give him all the time.

Catching up

I had a wonderful time when we had a friend to stay for a few days. It is so nice to have someone 'normal' to talk to. We went out quite a bit seeing the impact of the earthquake and having lunches. We also did a bit of shopping. I guess it is like a young mother but usually they have another adult round to speak to while I have no one.

Today was a public holiday. George is quite happy going to sleep or pulling everything out of cupboards! He also expects to be fed regularly...

Today I suggested that he play some quoits. That is something he likes to do. I have also saved cans and bought some balls from the $2 shop so he can play skittles. He won't do these things for long but at least it is something.

The new lady who takes him out on Wednesday afternoons (at 2 pm) is taking him for walks which is great for him. She is German and speaks with a thick accent but is lovely.

I find that I am constantly cleaning up after George - picking things up and putting them away, often the same thing several times. It is very time consuming. He has out about 4 pairs of shoes and 2 pairs of slippers in the lounge at the moment but always puts on two different ones.

Keeping one's head above water

George does the strangest things as well as things that can be very irritating.

One thing he does is goes through papers and books. He pulls them all out and scatters them all over the place. I got him a box to keep a lot in in the lounge which helps but he then goes and pulls down all the ones that are stored in the top of the wardrobe and has piles of them everywhere. I spend hours tidying those up.

Last night I was getting the evening meal and had put knife and fork on the table. He sat at the table and picked up the knife and fork and began to eat an imaginary meal. After doing this for some time he turned and said to me " I don't seem to be getting anywhere with this"...

Also last night he got his onesie off and his pad. He put on track pants! I woke up and realised this so had to get his track pants off and his pad on. He wouldn't wake and it took ages as he was a dead weight and it was not easy. I am going to get the safety pins used on babies so maybe that will stop him (I hope so).

Today he went out for coffee (twice) so he was happy about that - once was a free one from McDonalds which is great.

Birthday

Well today was my birthday and I was lucky enough to get two presents. I am very grateful for both of them thank you Mr Key. One is a Gold card which gives the holder some advantages, one being that you can have free coffee at McDonald's. The other is a weekly super amount which is given to all New Zealanders when they reach retirement age. This is so nice as it has not been easy since I retired with many unforeseen expenses cropping up.

I took George to McDonald's today and we used the Gold card twice!! Nice coffee too.

George tends to be like mum and restless in bed. One of the caregivers suggested this to me: Yoghurt with a weetbix broken up into it. He was saying that it is also great for children but must be just before going to bed and it has a calming influence. Worth a try.

Looking forward

In about 10 days I have a friend arriving from Australia. It will be so nice to have her here for a few days. It is so nice to have some to talk to who I can just chat to about ordinary things which is not always possible with George and he certainly doesn't understand any problems which arise (and there have been many over the last 3 and a half years). Her mother was a close friend of my mother and also had Alzheimer's. Her family are bringing their parents ashes back to their roots in Darfield as although they lived away from here for many years their hearts remained New Zealanders. It is nice as she is well away of strange behaviours of those with Alzheimer's so it won't worry her.

George enjoyed himself talking about rugby to the friend we see on Fridays and it was even better as the friend's brother also came around so George was in his element talking about All Black tours of days gone by.

Busy week

After the good day on Monday George has been quite needy for the rest of the week. On Tuesday he had a 'dizzy spell' so I had to leave him home instead of going to Harakeke as I had another appointment. We had  a doctor's appointment later in the day so we are testing his blood to see if anything is wrong. 

Last night he managed to take the onesie off (two pins tonight!) resulting in him putting on and wetting 4 more pairs of trousers. Luckily the bed wasn't wet however my first task this morning was the washing. He got up at about 4 this morning. This is something that can be pretty hard to deal with.

Today I have taken him to go to see a friend for the morning. He loves to socialise...