Kate and I had a pleasant day yesterday though she was somewhat confused about where she was for an extended period of time. She also experienced some delusional behavior during the afternoon. Here is a sample of some of the things she said.
As we walked into the family room after lunch, she said, “I remember being here before.”
As usual, she rested and actually went to sleep. She woke up and said, “It’s really nice to be back here.” I said, “Yes, it is.” She said, “You know I was born here, don’t you?”
A few minutes later she said, “It’s a nice place. The owner has done a lot of things.” I asked, “Do you know the owner? She said, “I think I am one of them.”
She moved from the recliner to the sofa to rest a little more. Off and on for an hour she made numerous comments. I jotted down a few of them. In each case, she seemed to be talking with someone else, not me. She often does this while sleeping at night, and sometimes responds to me if I speak to her. Yesterday’s experience was different. It was much more like something I reported on a week or so ago. She was awake but talked in a style that was more like she was dreaming. Her eyes were open and displayed nothing that would suggest she was asleep. She also talks to herself. It was more like that except that I was just a few feet away from her. What she said frequently seemed out of context as though I were hearing her side of the conversation and not the person with whom she was speaking. Here are a few examples.
“She said we could stay this night and see what we like about it.”
“I think I will close my eyes, but not for long. Then I will get up and make some friends.”
Looking up at the ceiling and laughed she said, “I can see you. . . Oh, look.” She was pointing to the trees out back.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could sleep here.? That would be nice.”
“I like this room.” <pause> “You know, this is bigger than I thought.”
“Yeah, I like this place.”
“Do you live here? <pause> I don’t remember her name.” (She chuckles.) “Yeah.”
“Well.” <pause> “Uh huh.” (She chuckles.)
“It looks so pretty out there. Those tall trees. I don’t know what that blue thing is. That real pretty blue. Can you see it? <pause> Uh huh, right over there. You got it.”
“I’ll just rest here a while.” “Yeah, we’ll come back. You’ve been so nice.”
“That girl over there talked with us a little. She lives here. <pause> To live here. That would be fantastic. We’ll just have to see.”
“My goodness, when did you come in. You’re a pretty lady. <pause> Uh huh. There are a lot of people here.”
I wondered what she would be like when I got her up for dinner. She seemed normal. I didn’t notice anything during or after dinner that was like the way she was in the afternoon. It reminds me somewhat of the urinary tract infections that my dad used to get during his time in a skilled nursing facility except that she exhibits the symptoms so infrequently. This was only the second time she has been like this other than when she is sleeping at night or when I am in another room. I will be watching out for any further signs and be prepared to contact her doctor if I think it is necessary.
