After browsing the discussion boards at Alz.org, I realized people were categorizing their AD loved ones in stages. So far, nobody has said what stage Mom seems to be in, so I found a link that describes the stages here.
Out of the seven stages, I believe my mother is now somewhere between stage 4 and stage 5, leaning possibly more towards stage 5. Somewhere between moderate cognitive decline (mild or early-stage AD) and moderately severe cognitive decline (moderate or mid-stage AD). The last two years, the signs have been there as she declined through stages 1, 2 and 3. Why has it taken us this long to define it?
I suppose this happens to everybody in one way or another. Just now, as I was over there staying with Mom while Dad went out shopping, I spent the time organizing and condensing stuff in their kitchen, specifically the herbs and spices. My guess is those 4 separate baggies of dried thyme, all in different locations, and two extra jars of curry (two of my mother's favorite cooking spices, when she cooked all those years), where a small example of her early onset AD symptoms. We just thought that was part of her quirky nature. I've been reading that this is very common.
Mom's moods are getting very erratic these days, too. Maria suggested that the full moon and bad weather can have an effect on the moods of AD patients. Sure enough, it is a full moon and the weather is drizzly. When I got there at 10 a.m., she was content to read her book. After about an hour, she got up and down a few times, restless. By the time Dad came home, I think she was beginning to get hungry, so I gave her a couple of celery sticks with cream cheese and paprika on them. She complained halfway through eating them that the celery got stuck in her teeth. She didn't want to finish them, but I gently pushed her and sat with her, and she eventually finished them. Then I gave her a small bowl of raw almonds and peanuts. Dad was milling about, putting away his medications and things, then she got antsy about lunch. She actually said something like, "Will I ever see this thing that is called LUNCH?"
Pretty funny, pretty sad. We convinced her to wait (it was only 11:30), and it's strange because she claimed she was "full" from the two celery sticks and small handful of nuts.
I left them alone to come home and do my stuff, but I wanted to post this update first.
3 comments:
Good report, Kate. After you left this morning we both read for about 15 or 20 minutes and then I put together a seafood salad wrap, adding some Romaine lettuce leaves (forgot the avocado!), and cut it in half, half for me, half for her. I added four grapes, some "low fat" chips, and a small glass of vanilla Ensure to each of our trays. After some coaxing from me, she finished it all! We were watching International House Hunters on HGTV which we both enjoy. This one was about an escape to the beaches of Costa Rica by an obviously not poverty stricken couple in their 50's.
Ha! I do love those shows, as well. It's great that you both have some shows you enjoy watching together.
Ironically, when I came back over this afternoon so you could take a walk and do some computer stuff downstairs, I asked her how her lunch was, and she remembered that it was in a roll up, but could not remember that it was seafood salad. She thought quite strongly that you had made her a peanut butter and apricot jam roll up.
But she did remark that she liked it, and ate most of it.
Despite her progressive memory loss, it does seem as if her appetite is gaining by baby steps, anyway.
Yes, that's right, Kate. Her appetite may be gaining by baby steps.
She couldn't remember the seafood salad but confused it with the peanut butter and apricot jam I gave her the PREVIOUS day. Sounds like due to shrunk hippocampi she forgot what had happened a few hours ago but did remember yesterday's lunch!
Post a Comment