My mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2010. This is a blog about coming to terms with her absent mind.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Tough Day

Another difficult difficult lemon difficult day, another two hour sob in the garden and we've only got to 2:30!

I have been accused (amongst other things) of leaving her on her own all the time, not telling her things, not taking her anywhere etc. Simon is in trouble because he hasn't been to see her. Apparently she can't wait until Peter ('my lovely boy') is home so that she can go and be with him. Right this second he's bloody welcome to her.

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It's time to reassess the morning meds routine. Up to now I've taken her a cup of tea with three tablets on the saucer and a soluble aspirin in a tiny glass of water. She takes the three tablets with water from the glass by her bedside.

This morning she brought both glasses into the kitchen and told me the drink tasted awful. The bedside glass clearly had the remains of a dissolved tablet in the bottom. No idea if it was one tablet or all of them. So from now on I will have to make sure she takes them properly.

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More later. I need to get over being upset at the unfairness of the earlier conversation and also make a beef stroganoff.

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My cooking skills are wasted on an 81 year old woman and a 15 year old girl! It's flipping delicious. Eh well, never mind.

Ma is rambling a lot tonight. She's clearly suffering the fall out from all the distress of today. Despite thinking the sun shines out of Simon's trousers she keeps pointing out male journalists on Beeb news as 'potential boyfriends'. I feel 15 again and am responding in kind - surly lip, tutting and murderous thoughts.

I really hope we hear news of a placement at the day centre soon, this will make such a difference for both of us. Ma gets to meet new people (although the thought of her reluctantly playing Bingo wearing all those diamonds is too Hyacinth for words) and I get a few hours off - I'll probably just catch up on House and slob in my PJs...

9 comments:

  1. Bloody hell Bee it must be so difficult (((hugs)))

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  2. Thanks Tracy :) I'll be ok in a bit, just need to find my sense of humour...

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  3. You have the patience of a saint Bee - I don't know how you cope. More {{hugs}}

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  4. Thanks Chris. She's fine now, laughing at the dog and being all nice.

    I confess I did go upstairs and have a bit of a cry - and it definitely helped!

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  5. I know you feel like you misplaced your sense of humour, but go easy on yourself - you manage to find the light in a really hard situation most of the time, and that is amazing.

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  6. Thanks Iain, you know Ma. She's just the same but multiplied by a factor of 10 now that the normal restraints have gone. It's quite challenging at times...

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  7. Dont know if its in your area, but I get up to 8 hours free respite care from age concern. Brilliant service, either sit in with mum or go out for coffee or shop etc. Really helps x

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  8. Go all the way back to 15. Put some music on and go wild. Have to agree with the above. I got an evening sitter (don't ask me how). Time off is, well... stops you going insane. This post made me laugh. Kudos, hon. :) x

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  9. So hard. the parent becoming the child brings back so many memories, some bad, some good. My parents were caring, but "hands-off" iykwim. So in old-age my Dad especially never took too kindly to being 'advised' what to do!!! Thinking of you.
    ps cook for yourself - the others can like it or lump it.

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