Hi TP
I have noticed over the last 3 weeks that my MIL seems to have slipped into another "phase" of this illness?
But her Mum passed away around the same time and so I am not sure if the grief is causing the change or if we are arriving at the next stage?
I don't know if it's just me but her swallowing seems very animated and loud. It doesn't always happen but I am noticing it more now. I have started preparing softer evening meals because I have also noticed she eats more if its soft. Occasionally she coughs when drinking or eating.
She has recently developed a cold with a cough but is refusing to go to the GP to check her chest. (We will be forcing her on Tuesday if she isnt better).
Also she is getting very confused by who she is talking to on the phone and it takes me a while to work out who she spoke to.
Also her daughter and sister seem to be melting into one person. With a funeral being arranged it is very challenging trying to figure out who she spoke to and what they needed from her (Her family cannot grasp how bad she is and still call and ask her to do things e.g. find pictures for order of service. I couldn't understand why her room got turned upside down until hours later...)
And her speech is poor. She is getting a lot of words incorrect and her sentences are not making any sense. She is also adding in a lot of made up information and so the story loops are changing and no longer accurate. Her vocabulary is getting smaller and smaller.
She also cannot tell the time, cannot use the phone, has stopped using a teaspoon when adding sugar to her tea (uses fingers) and struggles with a knife and fork. She struggles with the TV remote and has no concept of day, date or month. She also hardly ever eats!
She also hardly seems to brush her teeth and personal hygiene is poor. Unfortunately she has her own private suite in our home and is on a different floor and so I can never quite get on top of her personal hygiene. Plus the fact that she absolutely will not allow me to step in anyway. (A whole other chat)
She does however seems to have a bladder like a tank and doesn't need the toilet a lot. Even after drinking a considerable amount of tea. I do wonder how she holds it in and does this mean she may never be incontinent?
I guess my question is if anyone knows what comes next? I particularly need to know from anyone if continuance is next?
She has become incredibly frustrated but still seems to "hide" her AD from us. I get the sense that sometimes she forgets she lives with us because of it and still hides it. She is argumentative and snappy and very withdrawn from everything.
Does it seem as if she is middle stages? 10 months ago she was living on her own and caring for her Mum. This seems like an incredibly steep decline in under a year? Or is it just me being paranoid? She was 65 when she first got diagnosed but looking back she probably was ill longer. She is now 69.
I just get this uneasy feeling that things are getting bad and really quickly?
I have noticed over the last 3 weeks that my MIL seems to have slipped into another "phase" of this illness?
But her Mum passed away around the same time and so I am not sure if the grief is causing the change or if we are arriving at the next stage?
I don't know if it's just me but her swallowing seems very animated and loud. It doesn't always happen but I am noticing it more now. I have started preparing softer evening meals because I have also noticed she eats more if its soft. Occasionally she coughs when drinking or eating.
She has recently developed a cold with a cough but is refusing to go to the GP to check her chest. (We will be forcing her on Tuesday if she isnt better).
Also she is getting very confused by who she is talking to on the phone and it takes me a while to work out who she spoke to.
Also her daughter and sister seem to be melting into one person. With a funeral being arranged it is very challenging trying to figure out who she spoke to and what they needed from her (Her family cannot grasp how bad she is and still call and ask her to do things e.g. find pictures for order of service. I couldn't understand why her room got turned upside down until hours later...)
And her speech is poor. She is getting a lot of words incorrect and her sentences are not making any sense. She is also adding in a lot of made up information and so the story loops are changing and no longer accurate. Her vocabulary is getting smaller and smaller.
She also cannot tell the time, cannot use the phone, has stopped using a teaspoon when adding sugar to her tea (uses fingers) and struggles with a knife and fork. She struggles with the TV remote and has no concept of day, date or month. She also hardly ever eats!
She also hardly seems to brush her teeth and personal hygiene is poor. Unfortunately she has her own private suite in our home and is on a different floor and so I can never quite get on top of her personal hygiene. Plus the fact that she absolutely will not allow me to step in anyway. (A whole other chat)
She does however seems to have a bladder like a tank and doesn't need the toilet a lot. Even after drinking a considerable amount of tea. I do wonder how she holds it in and does this mean she may never be incontinent?
I guess my question is if anyone knows what comes next? I particularly need to know from anyone if continuance is next?
She has become incredibly frustrated but still seems to "hide" her AD from us. I get the sense that sometimes she forgets she lives with us because of it and still hides it. She is argumentative and snappy and very withdrawn from everything.
Does it seem as if she is middle stages? 10 months ago she was living on her own and caring for her Mum. This seems like an incredibly steep decline in under a year? Or is it just me being paranoid? She was 65 when she first got diagnosed but looking back she probably was ill longer. She is now 69.
I just get this uneasy feeling that things are getting bad and really quickly?