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

Monday, April 14, 2008

Respite Care

Thursday night we took Muddear to respite stay - not a completely unusual occurrence. However, what made this stay somewhat different was Muddear's confusion.

After packing up Muddear, Mariah and I drove her over to Brookwood Retirement Community. Initially, everything went well. Muddear immediately recognized Brookwood and easily allowed us to wheel her into the facility. Once we located Muddear's room, one of the aide's brought her milk and cookies - a definite favorite!

It took a little longer than usual to get Muddear checked in - but that was not a problem. It gave us more time to make sure she was comfortable. The problem began when Mariah and I stood up to leave. Muddear said, "Are you leaving tonight?"

"Yes, Muddear. We have to go now."
"Oh no! You confused me, I didn't know you were leaving tonight."
"Yes, it is time for us to go, but we will come back to pick you up in a few days."

The supervising nurse began to talk to Muddear to distract her so we could leave and they could prepare her for bed. That was when the drama began. While Mariah and I were walking down the hall we could hear Muddear SCREAMING in the background...

"No, no no! This ain't right! I can't stay here! I'm supposed to take care of my grandmother! I am the only person that takes care of her!"

Both Mariah and I felt really awful for leaving her. I had never experienced Muddear acting this way to a respite stay. But I had to remind myself that she is in a safe place and Dementia is the culprit.

Nevertheless, today is pick up day - I'll let you know how it goes.

2 comments:

Rosebud Collection said...

It hurts me to read this..I have seen so much of it and not a thing we can do to change it. Well, sometimes medicines cause trouble. What a great blog and I am sure it helps people to know they are not alone..

njm said...

Rosebud Collection,

Thank you! It is truly my ultimate desire for people to know that they are not alone. Caregiving has its ups and downs - joys and sorrows. We should never stand alone.

Visit again soon.