Confusion

St. Patrick's Day Dinner at IGC with friends

Alzheimer's confusion is rearing it's ugly head more often in Craig and it is also erasing more and more of everyday tasks and memories.

Simple things like how to change the blade on his razor has become difficult, getting dressed somedays has become a challenge and memories of conversations we've had are erased within minutes. He can no longer enter a phone number into a phone. I bought him a special phone that I have put pictures of people in and programmed it so that all he needs to do is push a picture and it dials that persons number.

Although most days he seems to function and perform normally, there will be a handful of consecutive days where he is very confused. Things throughout the house have been changed out of neccessity. Items are placed out in the open (there went my counterspace - LOL!) to aid his "out of sight, out of mind" mode, which is now the norm. Items are labeled even though most times he does not recognize the label. His eyes can see well, but his brain does not interpret what he sees into what is actually there. Example: the remote control can be laying on a table in front of him, he can look right at it and not understand he is looking right at it.

When you visit with him please remember to take what he says with a grain of salt, as he remembers things differently, or puts his own spin on things, or does not remember at all (or a combination) or he simply cannot articulate. This is becoming more and more prevelant.

Alzheimer's is an odd disease to say the least.

I no longer feel "safe" leaving him alone in the house. Even though he seems competent, without a moments notice the Alzheimer's scrambles his thought processes and he needs help.