Another symptom of Alzheimer's is the victim wandering and not knowing what they are wandering for or wandering to. I hoped to avoid this with Mom, but I don't think I'm going to be that lucky.
The other night, less than an hour after I had fallen asleep, my little poodle made a sudden movement. Since she sleeps next to me, I felt her and woke up with a start. Standing right in front of me was Mom.
I asked her what was wrong and she said she heard a very loud noise. I told her I hadn't heard anything and the dog had not reacted to anything, but she insisted she was awakened by some loud noise. I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn't listen and decided to check all the locks on both doors and walk around the inside of the house to make sure everything was alright.
The next morning, she didn't remember a thing. This is another new normal.
This afternoon, my sister actually came over to be with Mom while I got out of the house for a couple of hours. I went to Lowe's and as I was racing around trying to find items on my list, I realized I could actually take my time, something I couldn't normally do. And I did. I also got a blended coffee drink that really hit the spot and then went for a drive and ended up at a park that overlooks the Columbia River. As I watched the boats and sipped on my drink, I called a good friend and chatted with her for an hour and a half. It was glorious. I think I was gone for almost four hours and I realize I need to do that more often. So every weekend, my sister will come here or I will drop Mom and the dog off at my sister's and I will get some time all to myself. Yep, I felt guilty not being with Mom. But I also realize that I need time to do some things I wouldn't ordinarily do. And it felt good.
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