Alzheimer's Blogging:

Here is a blog from my book:
May 18, 2003

Today is Sunday. Here is Dad's current schedule.  Dad wakes up around 7:00 a.m. I walk him to the bathroom and put him on the toilet. I take off his clothes and run the bath. He asks me, "Why is the water running?" and "What am I supposed to do?"  I help him into the bathtub and when he sits on his bath chair, he asks, "What should I do now?" I tell him to wash up and he asks me how. I give him a wash cloth and soap. He says, "How do I do this? Where do I start?" He really doesn't seem to know.

When we're through with the bath, I help him out of the tub. I have his underware and a towel waiting for him.  He dries off himself but, if I don't supervise this, he'll be playing with the water in the tub with his towel.  After he gets his underware on , I put shaving creme on his face and give him a razor.  I leave him alone and he shaves. When he's done, I put toothpaste on his toothbrush and  he brushes his teeth.

Then I lead him back to the bedroom where I have his clothes laid out and tell him to get dressed.  Finally, after he's dressed, I tell him to come to the kitchen where I have his coffee waiting for him.  I give him his medicine and make him a big breakfast, usually waffles, hash browns, and sausage. He just loves to eat breakfast. After he's eaten, he'll walk around and wash his plate, cup and fork.  (I always put these in the dishwasher, later, because they're not really clean.)

At 11:00 a.m., I take him to the Daycare Center. He still seems to benefit from that.  He always asks, "Where are we going?" Sometimes I tell him we're going to run errands or get a bite to eat. Once I told him we were going to see his friend.  He replied, "I don't have any friends," and added. "I don't want to go."

At 3:00 p.m., we pick him up and when we get home he always has to have a snack. After he eats, he sits in his chair and then goes outside where he walks to the mailbox at the end of the driveway. He walks back and forth and back and forth. By 5:00, we're ready for dinner, which he also loves to eat.

After dinner, he sits in his chair and sometimes wants to fall asleep. We never let him do this, however, because then he won't sleep at night.  So he usually gets back up and goes outside and walks around.

He uses the bathroom by himself but can't do the snap or zipper anymore. This really frustrates him. He forgets how to turn the lights on and off and has no idea how to turn the T.V. or radio on and off. We keep the garage door and the laundry door locked all the time. Around 7:00, he'll ask me if I have anything for him to eat. He doesn't remember eating dinner. If I tell him he just ate, he gets an attitude, so I try to give him fruit snack.  Then, sometimes he'll watch T.V.  If he starts to "wander" around the house, I make him do his puzzles and cards.

Finally, at 9:00, I walk him to the bathroom, pull down his pants and sit him on the toilet. Then I lead him to his bedroom, take off his clothes and put on his pajamas and diaper.  I  put him to bed and tell him to close his eyes to go to sleep.  I kiss him on the forehead and remind him to stay in bed till morning.

I turn off the light and close the door. Of course, like a child, he'll get up and wander around his room.  I'll put him back in bed. The baby monitor still lets me know when he gets up. This is a typical day now.

If you have a loved one at home with this terrible disease maybe you can feel my frustration mixed with the love I have for him as I try to take care of him. The purpose of this post is to let you know that you are not alone.  I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press An Imprint of James A Rock Pub., Co.
http://www.mariefostino.com/
http://www.mariefostino.blogspot.com/