Tips For Caregiver's

People with Alzheimer's disease frequently become more disoriented after dark or when waking. Leaving a night-light on in the bedroom may be helpful.

~WebMd

Friday, March 23, 2007

What's really going on?

I often walk away from conversations with my grandmother and wonder, "what is really going on within her brain?" The questions she sometimes asks or even the statements she makes frequently leave me somewhat perplexed and I struggle with how to respond. Do I provide honest feedback that in turn may shatter her false sense of reality or do I continue the facade?

For example, last night Muddear asked me to come to her room. Upon arrival she asked me to turn off the ceiling light in her room, which would not have been a problem if the ceiling light was actually on. I had a quick internal debate...Do I just say okay, pretend to turn off the light, and keep the illusion in tact? or Do I say"Muddear the light is not on" and cause her additional confusion?

As usual, I opted for reality and told her the light was not on. As expected a confused look developed on her little face and she began to stare at the ceiling light trying to make sense of the situation. Was this the wrong thing to do?

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