For the past week or so, Kate has been getting more tired than usual. In fact, she seems lethargic except when she is outside working in the yard. Fortunately, she has been doing that more recently as the weather is not as hot.
I probably would not make much of this except that it has been accompanied by less enthusiasm for doing things she would normally like to do. For example, yesterday was PEO day. She got ready without any difficulty, but she did not seem eager to go. She was very lethargic. In the car she closed her eyes as if she were going to sleep.
When I dropped her off, the past president of her chapter, walked over to the car and greeted me but not Kate. Then she turned around and walked up the drive and into the house without waiting for Kate. I felt sorry for Kate. This is the kind of thing that tends to happen when people know you have Alzheimer’s. I don’t think they mean anything by it. I think they believe that the person with Alzheimer’s just doesn’t notice or care. This is similar to the fact that people seem to look at me more when we are together in a social situation. I have to admit that some of this happens (I think) because Kate may communicate less than she used to do. It is harder for her to get into an extended conversation than in the past. I see signs that this is becoming more common.
Another sign of this lethargy occurred this afternoon. After we returned from lunch and a shopping trip, she said she was going to try and rest. Just before 4:30, she came into the kitchen. She seemed a little groggy as though she had just awakened. We hugged. Then she said she thought she would go out on the patio. I opened the door for her, and we both went out and sat for about 30 minutes. She indicated that she was hungry and would like to eat early. I made reservations for 5:30. She seemed tired on the way as well as when we sat down at the table. She was not talkative which is not unusual. When we left the restaurant, I commented on the fact that it was early (6:30) and said that we could watch the movie Breaking Away when we got home. She indicated that she would be ready for bed. We had not gotten very far in the movie when she started falling asleep. I turned the TV off.
Before we left for dinner, Camille called me to say that she would like to invite Kate to lunch sometime and wanted to know when would be a good time. I suggested this coming Monday. I told her to call back for Kate on the landline, and she could ask Kate but first we should establish the time so that I could make sure she is ready. We decided on noon. In a couple of minutes she called back, and I put Kate on the phone. She was thrilled that Camille had invited her. I will have to tell Camille how much this meant to her.
These kinds of things have made me think once again that Kate is going through another period of decline. First, it was the decline in short-term memory. Now it appears that she is losing the ability to focus on things which leaves her with little to do. This may be exacerbated by having to work so hard to follow things that she is withdrawing a little bit. At the same time, she is working so hard that she is worn out.
