I was awoken at 5 am this morning by voices from downstairs.  Maureen tells me that she had been out looking for me and Mike our neighbour had a key so he let her in.  I doubt her story as Mike is still in hospital awaiting tests following a heart attack.

It was a familiar tale last night with Maureen frightened of men and wanting to sleep alone.  My mistake was failing to set up the Baby Monitor before I took my place in the spare room.  Although I’m so tired at the moment I may well have slept through Maureen waking and going outside clad in her PJ’s looking for me.

Chloe and Gail, our main carers have both encouraged me to seek a further assessment of Maureen’s condition. There is little doubt that her dementia is continuing to progress and her poor short-term memory is now a major concern.

This morning was a Rude Awakening: it was also a Lucky Break.  Complacency and exhaustion put Maureen at risk and need to be addressed.

It is fortunate that a review of my Carers Assessment is only a week away.  I am aware that the Agency are under pressure to staff their calls this weekend so I won’t call for support today.  The time has arrived to call time on having no carer support at the weekend.  I also need to ask our G P to carry out a thorough assessment of Maureen’s presentation as her dementia progresses with no sign of a plateau.

Postscript: Teepa Snow encourages Care Partners to become detectives as they attempt to support their loved ones.  I will need to go on the beat as PC 70 (my initials and age) shortly to find, and thank, the kind soul who chaperoned Maureen back to our house at 5 am this morning.