My mother has been in a care home for just over a week, very happily, and I have visited her three times. (She knows me still.) Another couple of nice ladies of about her level of dementia have introduced themselves to me each time anew, having forgotten me from the previous visits.
However, this afternoon when I sat on the lounge with my mother and one of these ladies - who chats quite lucidly except she can't remember me from one visit to the next - I got the impression that my mother and this lady did recognise and remember each other and recognise the other residents and carers, even though they couldn't remember any of their names.
This nice lady sitting next to my mother said my mum is a "good friend" (lovely!) but has she been a "good friend" for just that morning, or do they remember the "friendship" from one day to the next? They were commenting on other residents, saying how one lady "always" has a baby doll with her (she does) and one gentleman "always" likes to sing (he does) so they presumably retain some information?
So - do they remember them /recognise them because they see them every day for most of the day (unlike myself whom they only see on occasional days?) Does there come a point when they might not even remember the carers and other residents and then think each time they go into a room they are in a room full of strangers??
However, this afternoon when I sat on the lounge with my mother and one of these ladies - who chats quite lucidly except she can't remember me from one visit to the next - I got the impression that my mother and this lady did recognise and remember each other and recognise the other residents and carers, even though they couldn't remember any of their names.
This nice lady sitting next to my mother said my mum is a "good friend" (lovely!) but has she been a "good friend" for just that morning, or do they remember the "friendship" from one day to the next? They were commenting on other residents, saying how one lady "always" has a baby doll with her (she does) and one gentleman "always" likes to sing (he does) so they presumably retain some information?
So - do they remember them /recognise them because they see them every day for most of the day (unlike myself whom they only see on occasional days?) Does there come a point when they might not even remember the carers and other residents and then think each time they go into a room they are in a room full of strangers??