Imagine

In dealing with Scott's Alzheimer's disease one of my goals is to do everything I can to help him feel safe and comfortable and keep his confusion as low as possible.  If we are at home that is very easy to do because I know what he wants and what he needs fairly easily.  Unfortunately, staying home isn't something that we can always do and honestly for me getting out of the house a little each day provides some distraction as well. The biggest challenge when we travel is to limit the amount of time we are gone and also to make sure that he isn't tired before we begin.

For Scott there is no memory of a landmark or an area or even a city.  A number of times when we have gone down the hill he is so sure that I am going the wrong way that he is visibly shaken and no amount of assurances I give him that we are going the right way helps him calm down. More then once he has grabbed the door handle and told me he felt like he wanted to open it and get out.  One of our new neighbors came over to introduce herself and told me that her husband had recently passed away after dealing with Alzheimers.  I asked for any advice she could give me and her answer was, "make sure you have a lock on the front passenger side door so he can't open the door while you are driving."  Apparently this is not a unique aspect of the disease.

Think about how you feel when you are in a new city or area trying to find your way around.  Now intensify that times 100 and you may be able to understand how unnerving it is for Scott once he leaves our house. Now when he gets upset he has started a little mantra that he repeats over and over to me.  "I don't have any idea where we are but I know you do so I am okay."  How can I not love this sweet man who is scared to death and confused daily and yet he tries to get through it by repeating over and over that I know so he is okay.  I have decided that my Scott is a retired homing pigeon!  He can't get us home any more but once he walks into our house he is so happy because he knows that he is safe there.