Rick's progress
I am grateful to Tamara for posting the levels of Alzheimer’s Disease. And I agree with her that Rick is now in level 2. He paces a lot, walks through the house at night, and even during the day. Since he is at the center all day, I don’t really know what his activity is there. He does sleep a lot at home. So the part about “Doesn't stay down long in any one place” doesn’t apply. Except when he is awake, he is moving around a lot.
He is having more difficulty with eating. When he is very hungry he eats well. But after he has eaten enough to take away the hunger edge he gets distracted and has to be reminded to continue eating. Sometimes I have to actually put the food on his fork and put it in his hand and direct it to his mouth. He is still eating everything put on his plate most of the time. He hasn’t lost weight. He has actually gained back what he had lost earlier.
He still likes music but doesn’t participate much in church as he has in the past. He may clap some but much of the time he just stands there, not singing or claping. But then most of the songs at our church are the new choruses and worship songs that he doesn’t know too well. If we sing a hymn or song that he knew from before then he will join in. He can’t get all the words but usually gets the last one of the phrase.
He is having more difficulty responding to my cues with dressing. I have been handing him his pants to put on and he would be able to put them on. But now he can’t remember what to do with them when I hand them to him. I have to actually start putting his socks on now before he can take over and complete the task.
When I ask him to get the blanket on the couch, he can’t figure out what he is supposed to get. He picks up the pillow instead. The more I say, “No, not the pillow. The blanket,” he gets confused and it is easier just to say “forget it” and do it myself.
Most all of level 3 applies too. He constantly picks up little things on the floor. He doesn’t recognize ownership. He takes Emma’s and Mara’s toys away from them. I think he thinks he is correcting them or keeping them from doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
He definitely walks around well and likes going places and doing things. It was definitely harder flying with him this time. He had a hard time comprehending my instructions, like “sit down here, Rick.”
His language has been poor for a long time. He can’t get past the first 3-4 words in his sentence. Once in a great while he can complete the whole sentence. It is usually when he is not happy.
He still wants to make conversation. He will go up to a stranger and start a question. He did get out, “Where are you from” to the man who was sitting across the aisle from us on the plane. I get a little embarrassed when he does that because they don’t understand that he can’t talk.
He does respond to tone of voice or body language. He can tell quickly when I get frustrated with him and he gets more anxious.
He gets very nervous during meals. I discussed this with the nurse at the center who said she thinks he is forgetting how to eat and he gets anxious about it. His legs get to shaking up and down and his arms and hands do too. Sometimes he can’t get his fork to his mouth without spilling the food off of it. When I ask him what he is anxious about he says “It just comes.”
I don’t feel the patches have helped at all. He is still using them. I am half way through the last month. It was a trial and it didn’t work.
He is having more difficulty with eating. When he is very hungry he eats well. But after he has eaten enough to take away the hunger edge he gets distracted and has to be reminded to continue eating. Sometimes I have to actually put the food on his fork and put it in his hand and direct it to his mouth. He is still eating everything put on his plate most of the time. He hasn’t lost weight. He has actually gained back what he had lost earlier.
He still likes music but doesn’t participate much in church as he has in the past. He may clap some but much of the time he just stands there, not singing or claping. But then most of the songs at our church are the new choruses and worship songs that he doesn’t know too well. If we sing a hymn or song that he knew from before then he will join in. He can’t get all the words but usually gets the last one of the phrase.
He is having more difficulty responding to my cues with dressing. I have been handing him his pants to put on and he would be able to put them on. But now he can’t remember what to do with them when I hand them to him. I have to actually start putting his socks on now before he can take over and complete the task.
When I ask him to get the blanket on the couch, he can’t figure out what he is supposed to get. He picks up the pillow instead. The more I say, “No, not the pillow. The blanket,” he gets confused and it is easier just to say “forget it” and do it myself.
Most all of level 3 applies too. He constantly picks up little things on the floor. He doesn’t recognize ownership. He takes Emma’s and Mara’s toys away from them. I think he thinks he is correcting them or keeping them from doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
He definitely walks around well and likes going places and doing things. It was definitely harder flying with him this time. He had a hard time comprehending my instructions, like “sit down here, Rick.”
His language has been poor for a long time. He can’t get past the first 3-4 words in his sentence. Once in a great while he can complete the whole sentence. It is usually when he is not happy.
He still wants to make conversation. He will go up to a stranger and start a question. He did get out, “Where are you from” to the man who was sitting across the aisle from us on the plane. I get a little embarrassed when he does that because they don’t understand that he can’t talk.
He does respond to tone of voice or body language. He can tell quickly when I get frustrated with him and he gets more anxious.
He gets very nervous during meals. I discussed this with the nurse at the center who said she thinks he is forgetting how to eat and he gets anxious about it. His legs get to shaking up and down and his arms and hands do too. Sometimes he can’t get his fork to his mouth without spilling the food off of it. When I ask him what he is anxious about he says “It just comes.”
I don’t feel the patches have helped at all. He is still using them. I am half way through the last month. It was a trial and it didn’t work.
posted by Unknown at 10:08:00 AM
1 Comments:
If the patches don't work, they don't work.
I still think that if you suspect brain parasites, we should get a real specialist to check for them. If they give him parasite medicine and that works, then good. What happens if he doesn't have them? Is the medicine otherwise dangerous?
Otherwise, I think Dad is much less anxious than previously. Of course, I don't see him as much as you do, but he seems to be very comliant when I'm around. My goal is to do whatever it takes to help him to be relaxed and stress free for as much time as possible. I know that is yours, too.
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