3416: Home Sweet Home

[Apia resurrected]

My parents always both worked and made their own money. They are also both responsible with money. So I don’t think that anyone did hide any.

[Mark Sandiego]

I have worked as a nurse and nursing assistant with Alzheimers patients. A pattern I have seen in some later stage patients is what I describe as a cycling reality. The patient is sometimes fairly lucid responds appropriately to what's happening. Then minutes or hours later they switch to some confused reality, perhaps asking where their childhood dog is or thinking your are the police trying to trap them somewhere or thinking they are in another place and time. Sometimes it seems dreamlike and pleasant. Other times more of a nightmare and they can become very aggressive or scared.

Many are on antipsychotics, antidepressants, and sedatives to decrease the worst parts. As a caretaker you just try to find things that seem to make them happy like rides in a wheelchair, familiar music, food they like, brushing their hair, making them fake cocktails from juice, soda, and spices, etc. Sometimes if they start spiraling, you just redirect the conversation and they forget whatever it was that was starting to upset them.

Anyway it is always sad and often difficult to see and to deal with. It's also scary to think that it can be any of us when we get older.

[AvengedVampyre]

When I heard Keith's dad crying in front of the other kids, it angered me. It reminded me of m own father, he would resort to tears when every other emotional control tactic had failed.

I suspect that he was hoping one of the siblings would report back to Keith, "Dad was upset you weren't here, he seems sorry, maybe its time let it go".

Thankfully all of Keith's siblings are wise to their dad's trickster ways.

[CsisandDesist]

Originally Posted by Mark Sandiego

I have worked as a nurse and nursing assistant with Alzheimers patients. A pattern I have seen in some later stage patients is what I describe as a cycling reality. The patient is sometimes fairly lucid responds appropriately to what's happening. Then minutes or hours later they switch to some confused reality, perhaps asking where their childhood dog is or thinking your are the police trying to trap them somewhere or thinking they are in another place and time. Sometimes it seems dreamlike and pleasant. Other times more of a nightmare and they can become very aggressive or scared.

I witnessed this with my father, and the scary part was that he was physically strong enough to seriously harm another human with his hands alone. (He was a boxer at one point) He would occasionally get very paranoid and thought he was in a prison hospital at times. It was frightening and sad frequently.

One other important point, is that I think Keith was right, I think his mother was overwhelmed that first day.

[Scorpion]

Originally Posted by Scorpion

He was never happy that she felt the need to have a job but she didn't like having to have explain and justify anything she wanted.

I remember the day I came home from school and mom had bought a new TV. Dad was mad he said he didn't want to buy a color TV until they perfected it. Mom just rolled her eyes and said well when they do you can buy that one. This was in 1976. I bought the next TV so my mom could have one in her room when she got sick in the 80's and had days she couldn't get out of bed.

[litlokc]

My Grandma had Alzheimer's. As things progressed, my Grandpa would discover little things my Grandma had set in a "Safe" space. Pictures of us Grandkids, inbetween pages of books...Like 10 photos in a book. There were awards or newspaper clippings about her children or grandchildren in the cookbook. I believe there was a pot in the cupboard with things that held a memory for her. So after she passed, I was given some of the photos and newpaper clippings about me she saved. Photo's I don't recall seeing, clippings that I had not kept. Those programs for all the school and scouts things, she had collected.
This show brought back alot of memories, and the rediscovering of an emotion I had not felt in a while.