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Dementia: What’s my name?
After about ten days we made an unexpected discovery. Gladys knows who I am but she does not know my name. We made this discovery while Nikki and I were watching tv and Gladys needed help with something so she called Nikki. Nikki looked at me and said, “There are three people in the house, why does she keep calling me?” After I gave it some thought, it occured to me that Gladys did not know my name.
Of course, Nikki didn’t believe me. She said that up until they left Philadelphia, Gladys kept asking “When are we going to Valerie’s house?” I told her that Gladys might have said it then, but I was certain that she couldn’t remember my name. So I checked and sure enough, she didn’t know my name, Fred’s or Anita’s name. She knows who we are but not our names.
Is this a temporary memory issue caused by so many recent changes? Is this the normal progression of dementia? If any of you have experienced anything similar with someone in your family, I sure would appreciate your feedback.
Gladys’ New Home Is Ready
Everything is ready for us to become caregivers for my sister. All of the office furniture has been moved from the first level. Carpets have been cleaned; sheers and pictures put up and everything in the handicap bathroom is in place.
Gladys’ bed has been set up, the wardrobe arrived and has been assembled and the other furniture has been placed similar to the way it was in Pennsylvania. We hope this change will be an easy one for Gladys and that she will quickly adjust to living with us in Georgia. She and Nikki will be driving down from Philadelphia, making a few stopovers along the way to visit with friends.
We visited Adult Day Care providers and asked around about doctors who treat elderly people. I talked to several friends about being on standby in case I need someone to sit with Gladys. Since I work for a pastor and have to be at church at 7:00 AM on Sunday mornings, my daughter, Anita, has assumed responsibility for getting Gladys to church on Sunday mornings for our 10:45 AM service.
So, I think most of our primary concerns have been covered. Now, we’ll just wait and see what else we’ll need.
