Winding Down
Lyn is winding down and turning in on herself.
You can see the vacancy a bit in her eyes in this picture. This is part of the progression of the early on-set Alzheimer's.
She cries nearly daily. Even speaking with me on the phone will trigger tears. She still attempts puzzles. However, she now works puzzles with few, large format pieces. She actually ate chicken and dumplings recently, having forgotten she didn't like it.
Picking out clothing requires assistance nearly daily now. She is unable to make a decision about what to wear. Because she has so many shirts, Mom has decided to move half to the other bedroom. The thought is that a smaller selection may be easier on her. It hasn't made a difference and Lyn hasn't missed any of the shirts she doesn't see. She is currently cycling through a couple of favorite shirts and has pretty much forgotten the rest exist.
If you ask her what she did today, you will most likely get "I don't remember. I'm sorry." as the response. If she doesn't remember, it means the day went smoothly and nothing upset her significantly. Negative memories are easier to remember and, as a result, something that is upsetting to her will be fretted over for many hours.
Lyn has completely discontinued Friday evenings out with her respite provider. She states that "It is just too much." So, respite is now down to bowling on Thursday afternoons and 4 hours during the middle of the day on Saturdays. Even this is leaving her exhausted.
On Sunday, when we spoke, they talked about visiting Tim's Place for a late breakfast after getting their flu vaccines. Lyn started talking about not wanting a big meal because she's just not hungry any more. Then both Mom and I about had our eyes pop when Lyn suggested that they just skip going out to eat completely. Lyn wrapped up by saying she'll decide that day.
As her brain changes, I think she's disconnecting from her environment. There will come a time when she no longer engages at all.
You can see the vacancy a bit in her eyes in this picture. This is part of the progression of the early on-set Alzheimer's.
She cries nearly daily. Even speaking with me on the phone will trigger tears. She still attempts puzzles. However, she now works puzzles with few, large format pieces. She actually ate chicken and dumplings recently, having forgotten she didn't like it.
Picking out clothing requires assistance nearly daily now. She is unable to make a decision about what to wear. Because she has so many shirts, Mom has decided to move half to the other bedroom. The thought is that a smaller selection may be easier on her. It hasn't made a difference and Lyn hasn't missed any of the shirts she doesn't see. She is currently cycling through a couple of favorite shirts and has pretty much forgotten the rest exist.
If you ask her what she did today, you will most likely get "I don't remember. I'm sorry." as the response. If she doesn't remember, it means the day went smoothly and nothing upset her significantly. Negative memories are easier to remember and, as a result, something that is upsetting to her will be fretted over for many hours.
Lyn has completely discontinued Friday evenings out with her respite provider. She states that "It is just too much." So, respite is now down to bowling on Thursday afternoons and 4 hours during the middle of the day on Saturdays. Even this is leaving her exhausted.
On Sunday, when we spoke, they talked about visiting Tim's Place for a late breakfast after getting their flu vaccines. Lyn started talking about not wanting a big meal because she's just not hungry any more. Then both Mom and I about had our eyes pop when Lyn suggested that they just skip going out to eat completely. Lyn wrapped up by saying she'll decide that day.
As her brain changes, I think she's disconnecting from her environment. There will come a time when she no longer engages at all.
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