After Kate’s insecurity yesterday morning, I wondered what the rest of the day would be like. I’m happy to say that it was a very relaxing and peaceful day. I didn’t get her up until almost 11:15. Like the day before, she got up and dressed rather quickly. She was in a good mood and didn’t show any signs of confusion except for not knowing where the bathroom is located.
As we walked along the sidewalk outside the restaurant where we ate lunch, we passed a group of women who were having lunch after their weekly game of tennis. We see the almost every week and don’t know their names, but we always speak briefly when we are either going in or leaving. Kate was especially friendly. I don’t recall what Kate said, but it was something that I suspect made them wonder a little about her. I thought about giving them one of my Alzheimer’s cards but didn’t. I may do that another time.
When our server brought our drinks, Kate gave her a nice greeting and asked her name. She has done this the past couple of times she has served us. She not only asked but tried to repeat it but mispronounced it. The she asked the server to spell it. I informed the server about Kate’s diagnosis long ago or she might have wondered about her. As it was, I think she felt the way I did and appreciated the fact that Kate was interested in trying to learn her name.
We spent a quiet afternoon in our family room at home. Kate wanted to rest as soon as we walked in. Unlike most days, she went to sleep. I’m not sure how long, but she must have slept at least an hour. I sat across from her looking through a couple of catalogs and checking email. Periodically, I was out of the room briefly while I tended to washing clothes and watering plants.
Kate woke up and started looking at the back yard. From her position on the sofa she can see the tall trees behind our house. As usual, she remarked on how beautiful they are. In most ways, she was very relaxed and seemed perfectly normal. Then she pointed to the back yard and said, “I used to walk all around this place when I was a child.”
As I have noted many times before, she also busied herself by pulling strands of her hair starting at the scalp and moving to the ends when the hair falls from her fingers. She has acquired what I see as a more problematic habit recently. She deliberately puts saliva on her fingers and wipes it on her forehead and, sometimes, her arms. She takes both of these habits very seriously and often wants my attention to watch what she is doing. She believes both of these habits do something good. I’ve never understood what.
Later as I was coming inside after watering plants, she looked at me and said, “You and I went to school together.” I said, “Yes, we did. Do you know the name of the school?” She said, “Let me think.” When she couldn’t guess, I said, “TCU.” She said, “That’s right.” As far as I could tell this was the first time during the day that it was obvious she didn’t remember who I was. Of course, she slips in and out between knowing and not knowing very quickly. She can mention her mother’s name in one moment and ask her name in the next.
She had brief scare late in the afternoon when she came out of our bathroom. I had left momentarily to take a few things to the washer. I heard her say, “Hey” a couple of times before I got to her. She was greatly relieved to see me. Since she has become so dependent on me to tell her what to do or where to go, she is often afraid when she doesn’t know where I am.
It was also a day when, most of the time, she didn’t recognize that she was in our house. That happens regularly in the morning and did yesterday. Throughout the day and into the evening, she said things that indicated she thought she was some place other than home. Interestingly, sometimes she wanted to “get out of here.” Other times she commented on what a nice place it was. As we left for lunch, she said, “I feel really sad leaving here.” I told her we would be coming back after lunch. She felt better. Later as we left for dinner, we had a rerun of the same experience.
All in all, it was a nice day despite her confusion. My own assessment of how things are going continues to depend on how she responds to that confusion. I am able to accept the decline in her memory and the confusion she experiences so long as she is happy. Much of the reading I have done on the topic of caregiving emphasizes the importance of accepting the person for whom you care as she is and focusing on making life as fulfilling as it can be. That makes life better for everyone. I believe it.
