I brought Aunt Gloria to the house for Christmas Dinner last night. I wasn't sure it was a good idea or not. I think it probably added to her confusion. I ended up getting a call saying she fell in her room later in the evening - she was really shaky on her feet after sitting here for awhile. She did ok - actually ate! She lost 26 lbs in the last few months and has been refusing to eat there. She seemed like she was ok and even said a few funny things but she reminded me of a little kid at the grown up table - not quite knowing what was going on or who she was even with.
When I got to the nursing home to pick her up she had no idea why I brought gifts or, really, what Christmas was...
I told her we were going over Daddy's for dinner and she asked why. She didn't even make it to dessert before she said she better go back.
It took three of us to get her down the steps. Debbie and I drove her back and Debbie got out of the car and ran in the lobby to grab a wheelchair. I helped Glo out of the car, put her into the wheelchair and she looked up at Debbie and said - Hi, I'm Gloria - like she hadn't even spent the last few hours with her at the house let alone being in the same car.
What a sad, lonely disease this is.
1 comment:
I have relatives with Alzheimer's and it is scary and hard to cope with. Like you, I try to spend time with them, talk and make them feel comfortable. Included. But they just keep forgetting... and often they look so lost, it breaks my heart. My paternal grandmother is like that now.
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