One of the problems with dementia is trying to think of an activity that is within the capability of the sufferer.  I knew that Maureen had always loved the musical South Pacific so I routed out the C D before she came down for breakfast yesterday.  The impact was amazing: she immediately began an in house performance of the musical.  I was particularly impressed when she sang along to the second track on the CD word perfect in French.

We played the CD several times in the day and each time Maureen sang along with great gusto.  In fact the effort of her performances exhausted her or it was just one of those days when all she wanted to do was sleep.  Several times in the days she lay down on the sofa ‘to rest her eyes’ and she was out like a light for a few hours at a time.

Our day drew to a close around 10.30 pm when we had another late dish of porridge together.  Since stroke it is always time for breakfast after a doze as there is no longer any concept of: time place or person in Maureen’s world.  In fact she often talks to me in the third person and looked worried the other day when she told me: ‘I am not really sure who you are.’ On days when her confusion is rampant she will be wanting to go home and claim that we haven’t live here very long: we have now lived here in Cleethorpes for 15 years.