Dementia: She Taught Me To Yodel

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Maureen was in good form, and voice, for most of yesterday greeting Hilary our carer, as Frank Ifield, with a pair of woollen tights on her head as you will see from this video clip.

She spent quite a time yesterday afternoon telling me how much she enjoyed her time with Hilary.  Once again she had been chatting about the need to see someone about her poor short-term memory.  There appears to be some hopeful possibilities on this front, with news from our social worker that the Memory Service are considering how to provide appropriate support.

Maureen has been up since 5 am this morning wanting to make sure that she is available to let Chloe today’s carer in when she arrives at 10 ‘o’clock.  She is looking forward to having her hair done in preparation for a possible trip to Nottingham, to see family, at the weekend.

Footnote: I’ve just checked it out, to be on the safe side, to see that like myself Frank Ifield was indeed a Coventry Kid!

 

Dementia: Feeling The Fear

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Maureen was terrified yesterday as insight into her condition overwhelmed her throughout the day.  Her fears that someone was watching us or preparing to break into our house meant that she kept close to me throughout the day and night.  The woman who often wants to be alone in bed pleaded with me to be beside her last night.  Fortunately, we have both had the best night’s sleep we have had for ages.

I called in the troops to help me address Maureen’s current presentation.  Gary our social worker was on the case yesterday morning as soon as our meeting began.  He has petitioned the Mental Health team with a request for a Care Coordinator for Maureen.  He also counselled me on the importance of keeping well so that I could continue to look after Maureen at home.  He has requested substantial carer sits alternate Wednesdays, and encouraged me to set up regular respite breaks using Ashgrove Care Home.

My evening call to the Home Treatment Team also let further light into a fairly dismal day.  Amanda is exploring the availability of support from Occupational Therapy that could lead to the one to one support from Maureen.

Susan Macaulay put the icing on the cake this morning with comments on this Blog of a  Webinar on Sleep and Dementia.  My cyber pal Kate Swaffer also posted some further useful items on Facebook that are even more grist for the mill.

Camomile Tea is on my shopping list today: another natural remedy that might just help us both with improving our sleep patterns.  Sincere thanks to all who try to support us as we try to stop that ‘Elephant in the room’ from spoiling our lives.

 

 

Dementia: Having A Hard Time?

Mixed Dementia

Image result for Time Travelling Dementia PictureAbout an hour ago Maureen told me she was ready to go home to her family.  She was well equipped for the journey with an iron, her boots and a butter knife in hand.  As we travelled around Cleethorpes, Maureen told me her husband was a car delivery driver and her three children were still at school.

She gave me a peck on the cheek when I dropped her off and thanked me for bringing her home.  I returned a short while afterwards to find her walking down the street.  She was clearly pleased to see me and we returned to the house as husband and wife again.

As we sat chatting Maureen was anxious to tell me that she kept forgetting things.  She remembered someone telling her that she had ‘memory problems and how hard life had been for her recently’.  As she relayed her concerns she talked about seeing her G P about her faltering memory.

‘Wanting to go home or asking me to take her back to her husband’, is nothing new.  My guess is that she will forget this morning’s concerns and carry on in denial:  facing up to the reality of her condition may be more than she can cope with at the moment.  That is why my discussions with our social worker about having a Care Coordinator for Maureen is significant this morning:  Maureen needs someone with professional expertise to help her put her feelings, and concerns, into perspective.

Dementia: Preventing Carer Burnout

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My post yesterday on Unison’s Ethical Care Charter has got me thinking.  Where is the Charter for Care Partners?  Which is the best organisation to support us in our struggles  for adequate support to prevent Burnout?

Maureen has been awake since 1 am this morning; despite my best efforts to persuade her to go back to sleep: it’s time to seek further help on this front.  It’s fortunate I’m meeting Gary, our social worker, this morning as getting more rest by securing regular respite will be an important feature of our discussions.  Attending meditation sessions like I did yesterday are helpful but they can’t compensate for the sleep disturbance that is  feature of my life at the moment.

Dementia: Unison’s Ethical Care Charter

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I have just caught sight of Unisons Ethical Care Charter which is on the Agenda for our Branch Labour Party Meeeting on Friday.  I hope the Charter becomes adopted throughout the United Kingdom, so that those who work in the secto,r and those who need their services, get the deal they both deserve.

Dementia: Seeing The Light

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Maureen and I both saw the light in a number of ways in the last 24 hours.  We played musical beds again last night moving from the lounge to the bedroom; then back downstairs again.  When I popped in to check on her early doors I noticed something strange on the bed. I thought no more of it and returned to the spare room.  When I spoke to Maureen this morning she thought there was a baby beside her in a basket on the bed. A little later I saw the culprit – a basket of washing that I had left on the bed earlier in the evening.

I have realised that lighting is so important in our lives now.  If I leave lights on in the house when we go to bed it means that Maureen can move around without being frightened by shapes in dark corners.  Thankfully babies in baskets are not a threat when they are sharing your bed!

We tripped the light fantastic again last night listening to Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.  Maureen also burst into song and gave a lovely rendition of Rambling Rose, which created great amusement when I zapped it to her son on the mobile phone.  Unfortunately, I have not figured how to post in on here yet!

I managed to brighten up my morning yesterday with a visit to the Leisure Centre.  I had forgotten how warm water, and good conversation, regenerates the body and soul.  If things go to plan this afternoon I hope to gain similar benefit from a local Meditation Class.

 

Dementia: Looking Back: Looking Ahead [Week 6]

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One thing I’m hoping for this week is that our arrangements for care are met as planned.  A mix up on Wednesday, and the weekend, meant that carers were not available on those  three days last week.

This week I’m going to see if keeping Maureen awake during the day will mean that we get more rest in the night.  Yesterday she slept most of the day and woke almost every hour in the night.  I will ask Chloe this morning’s carer to keep her busy this morning; then after a siesta in the afternoon I’ll try to keep her awake this evening.

I still wonder if  Maureen sleeps when she doesn’t know what else to do.  Television only holds her interest for short periods of time with Hidey High, on YouTube, one of our current favourites.  This evening I’ll see if  music along with a cross word, card games or dominoes might just do the trick.  If the going is good I might even put on a DVD that will help us to revise one or two of our dancing routines

Teepa Snow came to my rescue, again, yesterday afternoon when I was watching Maureen struggle for ages trying to find comfortable socks and shoes.  Taking deep breaths kept me on the straight and narrow at a difficult moment in another challenging day:

One of the early messages from my Admiral Nurse was to look at the work of Teepa Snow and I’m always glad I have taken her advice.  Teepa’s generosity in sharing her wisdom has been  invaluable as I travel on this unforgiving journey.

 

Dementia: Taking To The Air

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I think Maureen got the days mixed up yesterday as Saturday became a day of rest.  She spent most of the day sleeping on the sofa and stayed there all night.  This could have  been another one of those ‘Duvet Days’ that we were told to expect following a stroke.

We both had a relatively restful night, apart from one incident where Maureen told me I would be in trouble with the police.  She warned me that I faced arrest for ‘taking people off the street and locking them in my house’.   That early morning warning has soon been forgotten to be replaced by: ‘what are we dong here; why I aren’t I in my own house?’

It is cool and dismal this morning and my challenge is to see if I can entice Maureen into some sort of activity.  I’m rather concerned that as Autumn progresses into Winter the coolness of the air will make ‘hibernation’ a distinct possibility with attendant deterioration.  I simply have to find ways of encouraging my butterfly to take to the air or she will forget how to fly..

 

Dementia: Sleep Disturbance

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Image result for Sleep Disturbance In Dementia PicturesLast night Maureen woke three times during the night.  At 2 am she needed a drink and thought it was time for breakfast.  At 4 am she couldn’t stop coughing until I’d found her something to ease a tickle in her throat.  Two hours later she was concerned that the ‘little boy that she was looking after felt sick’.

Over the last couple of months I have picked up that there are initiatives, and research, in the pipeline that may help those with dementia and their Care Partners improve their sleep patterns.  The Manager of the Home Treatment Team and an Officer of the Clinical Commissioning Group have both mentioned relevant local initiatives.  The  Alzheimer’s Association have also commissioned research into sleep deficit within Care Homes.

In the next few days I hope to see if there is anything out there that might help the situation here.

Dementia: Finding The Missing Pieces

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A couple of weeks ago I decided that solving a jigsaw would be a good way of spending these Autumn evenings.  My first venture was a complete waste of time as my purchase from a charity shop was very incomplete and I promptly returned to the shop.  I spent a couple of hours on a replacement, from our local library, last night.  We had YouTube on in the background as I struggled for a couple of hours trying to make start on a 1000 piece puzzle.  Maureen sat patiently by my side as I desperately searched for a starting point on my new venture.  This morning I have put all the pieces back in the box in preparation for its return to the library .

Yesterday afternoon, when I met Gary our social worker, I had some success in trying to find the missing pieces in my Carer Support Plan.   We explored two options for setting up regular respite.  Firstly, through a three-day break every month; with Maureen going into a Care Home.  Secondly, through a half day break  every other Wednesday supported by Carer Sits..

I’m optimistic that our outline plans from yesterday’s meeting will come to fruition.  I also think that a little bit of clock patience  might be a more inclusive way of spending these dark evenings.  All I need to make sure of is that we have a full pack of cards!