It has taken me a while to let go and not keep Maureen under constant surveillance.  I suppose it has been natural to err on the side of caution when someone has had stroke leaving them with dementia and 50% peripheral vision loss.  At first i panicked when Maureen went missing the first a couple of times and heeded to call to almost ‘lock her in’.  In the last couple of weeks or so I have taken a more liberal approach to going out by herself.

I need to praise the wisdom of Yvonna my chemist confidant in helping me to adopt a revised approach to Maureen’s presentation..  Her advice to see Maureen as someone recovering from stroke; rather than focus on her shortcomings has been really helpful.  So when I find Maureen has gone on walkabouts I no longer panic and reach for the phone to report her missing.  This morning has been a classic example of my revised approach.

I returned downstairs after checking up on the latest exchanges on Talking Point to find Maureen gone. After making the house secure I fired up the car to begin my search around the local streets.  My first trawl around her usual routes was uneventful.  I eventually spotted her, within a few minutes, on her way in the direction of home.  She soon jumped in beside me and we returned home together.

Maureen waved at a passing car on our return journey to our house.  She is convinced that she is under surveillance when she is out for a stroll, with police monitoring her safety.  On this occasion she was walking in her slippers as she said they were to hand when she decide to go out.  The rest of her attire would not have been out of place for anyone walking the local streets.

Maureen loves walking and follows advice to take regular exercise.  We have a laugh about my ability to track her down. Such arrangements may not be risk averse but they appear to fit the bill at this point in time.  Like all things with this condition there is no room for complacency and the daily challenges with dementia mean that things always need to be kept under review.