We are just waiting for my father-in-law's diagnosis of dementia. He has had the memory tests, and is just awaiting a brain scan.
This has all happened very quickly, we have noticed his memory impairment and other related problems really only since just after Christmas, although looking back there was the odd issue since September.
The biggest problem we have is that he lives alone, and he has lost his awareness of time and his ability to tell the time. He can't read a clock face or digital clock any more. His daughter bought him a digital clock made for dementia sufferers, but he said it keeps stopping and going wrong before putting itself right again (it doesn't!). He's now unplugged it and put it in a cupboard. He says that with the normal clock the hands just keep going round and round.
Because of this lack of time awareness he puts himself to bed sometime soon after 6pm and then gets up in the middle of the night believing it is morning. He is tired because of this, so he naps on and off throughout the day. He is alone most of the day (his daughter comes around to do his breakfast and then his dinner in the early evening) there is no-one around to keep him awake, and no-one at night time to encourage him to go to bed at a normal time and get up at the right time in the morning.
He has been known to go to the local shop to fetch the paper at 10pm at night, and was annoyed that the shop was closed. He has also gone early in the morning to get the paper 5am or similar (the neighbours tell us if they see him out at unusual times). Both times he moaned that the shops should be open, he is oblivious to what time it is and doesn't understand why they are closed because it's daytime (in his mind) when he goes so the shops should all be open.
There is no-one who can stay with him during the day and evening to get him back into the habit or normal(ish) hours - I live a distance away and his daughter looks after her young grandson every day.
We've now got him into a day centre one day a week and we're hoping that that will tire him out, and stop him sleeping in the day, but if he's tired he'll probably go to bed even earlier!
Has anyone else had this problem and found a way around it? I'd appreciate any advice.
This has all happened very quickly, we have noticed his memory impairment and other related problems really only since just after Christmas, although looking back there was the odd issue since September.
The biggest problem we have is that he lives alone, and he has lost his awareness of time and his ability to tell the time. He can't read a clock face or digital clock any more. His daughter bought him a digital clock made for dementia sufferers, but he said it keeps stopping and going wrong before putting itself right again (it doesn't!). He's now unplugged it and put it in a cupboard. He says that with the normal clock the hands just keep going round and round.
Because of this lack of time awareness he puts himself to bed sometime soon after 6pm and then gets up in the middle of the night believing it is morning. He is tired because of this, so he naps on and off throughout the day. He is alone most of the day (his daughter comes around to do his breakfast and then his dinner in the early evening) there is no-one around to keep him awake, and no-one at night time to encourage him to go to bed at a normal time and get up at the right time in the morning.
He has been known to go to the local shop to fetch the paper at 10pm at night, and was annoyed that the shop was closed. He has also gone early in the morning to get the paper 5am or similar (the neighbours tell us if they see him out at unusual times). Both times he moaned that the shops should be open, he is oblivious to what time it is and doesn't understand why they are closed because it's daytime (in his mind) when he goes so the shops should all be open.
There is no-one who can stay with him during the day and evening to get him back into the habit or normal(ish) hours - I live a distance away and his daughter looks after her young grandson every day.
We've now got him into a day centre one day a week and we're hoping that that will tire him out, and stop him sleeping in the day, but if he's tired he'll probably go to bed even earlier!
Has anyone else had this problem and found a way around it? I'd appreciate any advice.