It has been a while since I have updated all of you on your dad and since you are all so good to call each week I do try to keep you posted on what is happening. Maybe I do this more for me then any one else because it is good to actually commit my observations to paper (kinda paper!). It has been really eye opening to me to realize how long dad has had Alzheimer's. I guess it was my way of avoiding the obvious. Being married to the absent minded professor made it easy to camouflage the reality that things weren't quite right.
With all of that in mind and the reading I have done on the stages of Alzheimer's I found the following. Stage 1-No impaired behavior. 2-Very mild impairment 3-Mild decline. 4-Moderate impairment. 5-Moderately severe impairment. 6-Severe impairment and 7-Very severe decline. In taking care of dad I believe that he is in stage 6. According to the information I have that is characterized by confusion or being unaware of patient's surroundings or environment, extreme personality changes and behavioral problems, the inability to recognize faces except for very close friends and relatives, loss of bladder and bowel control, and wandering.
Although a few of these things aren't apparent or extreme I am definitely seeing a decline which requires more attention being paid when he has to use the restroom to make sure he is clean and put back together when he finishes. I often have to clean the toilet and flush when he finishes. He is often disoriented and even in the house he isn't sure where he is. I still don't see that wandering will ever be an issue with him because he has a hard time being out of my sight. If I get up and walk to the kitchen he follows me. That includes bathroom breaks as well. One evening I told him I was going to take a shower and left him watching the television. When I finished the shower and came out he was standing in the dark by the bathroom door and just about gave me a heart attack! His personality changes are subtle which involves crying and continually asking me if he is okay. He does seem to know something is wrong with him but doesn't know what it is. He recognizes only Andy and Angela and the kids now. At church he knew several people but now he doesn't respond to them when he sees them. He is always very nice to everyone though and listens closely when I talk to anyone (I think to find out who they are so he can acknowledge them.). He chokes at least once a day, mostly when he is drinking water and sometimes at meal times. His appetite has definitely declined and if I didn't make his meals I believe he would have completely stopped eating. Even now I have to coax him to finish a half a sandwich or the bowl of cereal he eats.
In spite of all of what I have written don't lose hope. He is still his kind self, laughs like crazy when he watches the Big Bang Theory (much to my chagrin!), loves being around Caleb and Ava and talks about Paw Patrol all the time. Many of the television shows scare him and I change channels often. Even Perry Mason is sometimes hard on him. I am very able to take care of his needs so far. The biggest challenge I deal with right now is knowing what he is trying to tell me. He often tells me things that make no sense so I try to show that I am listening even if I don't know what he wants. Again, it is doable and I am grateful that he is doing as well as he is. Last week Caleb casually explained to me that pretty soon Grandpa would forget everything and I thanked him for telling me that. I sometimes feel so sad that our grandkids will only have that to remember and forget all of the times he spent with them playing, reading, and talking. This is bittersweet!
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