Dayz Caring for Alzheimer's Patients

As those of you have been following these writings-or ramblings-as the case may be, of mine, you know I am assisting my husband in caring for his older sister-Robbie and her husband-Bob, both of whom have Alzheimer's.

A year and nine months ago we moved in with them to take care of them.

Things get tough at times. Trying to maintain some sort of schedule helps out. We get up at the same time every morning, have meals at the same time daily, have the home health nurse come on the same day weekly and the home health aide the same two days weekly.

Any sort of deviation form this can cause all sorts of confusion. Yesterday, my other sister-in-law, Wanda and her husband, Juan, came down to visit with Robbie and Bob and let us leave the house for the day. It was a very welcome break.

Today all Bob and Robbie can talk about is that Juan acts as if he isn't going back to work, "What's wrong with him?" Juan has been retired for some time now and paints beautiful scenery on various canvases, selling them at trade shows.

I digress from my subtitle here--my purpose in this particular article is to determine if they are happy or not. One of my daughters is a student nurse, about to graduate next month. A couple of weeks ago we were visiting and I mentioned whatever Bob's latest antic was to her and she responded with, "They are both happy, just leave them alone."

So now I have been trying to determine if they are or not.

Are they happy when. . .

1. Robbie believes that her parents, who have both been deceased many, many years, got angry at her, came over in the middle of the night and took all her clothes and put them in the trunk of their car and left with them?

2. Bob sees heavy equipment sitting in the backyard and is convinced (sometimes) that someone is going to be bulldozing his home to put a road in?

3. Robbie believes that some young man (he was right good-looking too), came to the door and told her that the government is taking their home and they have to get out and can not take anything at all with them?

4. Robbie is determined that her father, who passed in the 1960's, is coming to pick her and Bob up?

5. Bob believes he still has two legs and sees two legs when he looks down at his lap? He even tries to stand up and walk on both of them?

6. Bob believes that he and Robbie were in a car wreck in Japan that caused Robbie to loose her left foot? Note-Robbie has both feet. Bob lost his left leg due to blood clots this past July. Robbie has never been to Japan.

7. Bob will eat a meal and within fifteen minutes of finishing he is upset because he has not had anything to eat?

8. Bob comes to our room door asking about "That young couple that wants to buy the place."?

9. Bob gets upset that his brother-in-law is living here, not paying rent, and needs to go get a job and find his own place. Note-Dave and I have a home that is deteriorating due to no-one living in it and Dave is 65 himself, retired and at one time was Bob's supervisor.

10. Bob picks things up off the floor and tries to eat them. Upon asking him why, the response is, "Well, it was on the floor. I didn't think anyone would care."

11. Bob, yesterday, was chewing on something. We asked him what as he will chew on nothing at all. He said he had picked a scab off his arm and was chewing on it. We had him spit it out and that is just exactly what he had done.

12. Their car is parked right beside the door, yet even after showing it to Robbie, she is all upset that some "kids" came and stole her car.

These are only some of the things we deal with. And all of these questions can up in an hour!

Alzheimer's patients can have delusions, paranoia and hallucinations.

Alzheimer's is not simply going back in time. It is a dreadful disease that takes its toll in many ways--and not only on the patients.