Recently my parents drove 45 minutes to my father's eye doctor appointment, as he was due to get a shot for his macular degeneration. Since his eyes have to be dilated for this procedure, my mother drove home. Almost home, they stopped at the main building of their senior citizen facility to pick up their mail. Dad popped out to pick it up. Once back in the car, Mum put her foot on the brake after the car rolled a bit. She took her foot off and the car rolled again. She then put her foot on the brake and said "The car isn't going anywhere." In that moment, Dad realized that she thought she had been putting her foot on the gas and he resolved to keep her from driving ever again.
I give Dad much credit, not only for immediately realizing the gravity of the situation, but for knowing what had to be done. And none too soon.
Showing posts with label early dementia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label early dementia. Show all posts
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Organizing Breakdown
Yesterday I spent a few hours with my parents at their place, helping my mother to organize photos. We visited a bit beforehand, and except that she just can’t remember the date, she seemed fairly with it and normal.
Until I saw her scrapbooking table. My mother, who has always been an organized person, was at a loss. Her table was covered with photos that she couldn’t seem to categorize. Photos were mixed in memorabilia (ticket stubs, programs and such) and embellishments (decorative items to dress up photo album pages). Clearly she was trying to do too much at once, and didn’t have a plan in mind.
I helped her separate everything and organize it. Although she seemed grateful, she also seemed perplexed, as if she wasn’t sure of the need for organization. I’m unsure as to the cause of that. I suggested she work on one group of photos at a time but I honestly don’t know if that registered.
I am forming a plan for my mother and the organization of all her photos. Yesterday’s visit was mostly to evaluate the situation. The most important things I gleaned were 1) the plan must be flexible 2) there must always be some interesting and realistically accomplishable task to keep my mother engaged. She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed.
It was an exhausting day, but I’m looking forward to next time.
Until I saw her scrapbooking table. My mother, who has always been an organized person, was at a loss. Her table was covered with photos that she couldn’t seem to categorize. Photos were mixed in memorabilia (ticket stubs, programs and such) and embellishments (decorative items to dress up photo album pages). Clearly she was trying to do too much at once, and didn’t have a plan in mind.
I helped her separate everything and organize it. Although she seemed grateful, she also seemed perplexed, as if she wasn’t sure of the need for organization. I’m unsure as to the cause of that. I suggested she work on one group of photos at a time but I honestly don’t know if that registered.
I am forming a plan for my mother and the organization of all her photos. Yesterday’s visit was mostly to evaluate the situation. The most important things I gleaned were 1) the plan must be flexible 2) there must always be some interesting and realistically accomplishable task to keep my mother engaged. She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed.
It was an exhausting day, but I’m looking forward to next time.
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