Clocks

[Catastrophe]

Just need to let off a little steam. Had a bit of a day with Dad and clocks. He is so confused, what should it be if it wasn't now I have been asked 100 times today. And there are things going around to fast on my clock i can't tell the time they keep moving. Those are the hands I said you need them to tell the time. No I dont he says, I only need the numbers.
Tonight he is in full panic mode that he wont get any breakfast tomorrow because it will be the wrong time. He wants me to put it out now ready for the morning. I did tell him his toast would be cold by then and knowing him he would get up and eat it now then panic again, worry for an hour or two then wake me up to say he is dying because his breakfast for tomorrow was yesterday.
I am sure eventually I will be laughing, but for now having my ears bent for hours on end is not funny. In six months time there will be a blackout on discussing clocks changing.

 

[TNJJ]

Just need to let off a little steam. Had a bit of a day with Dad and clocks. He is so confused, what should it be if it wasn't now I have been asked 100 times today. And there are things going around to fast on my clock i can't tell the time they keep moving. Those are the hands I said you need them to tell the time. No I dont he says, I only need the numbers.
Tonight he is in full panic mode that he wont get any breakfast tomorrow because it will be the wrong time. He wants me to put it out now ready for the morning. I did tell him his toast would be cold by then and knowing him he would get up and eat it now then panic again, worry for an hour or two then wake me up to say he is dying because his breakfast for tomorrow was yesterday.
I am sure eventually I will be laughing, but for now having my ears bent for hours on end is not funny. In six months time there will be a blackout on discussing clocks changing.

I feel your pain..My dad is obsessed with time.At 11.30 He is telling me it will be lunch soon..
We have to eat at midday as heavens above we will be late.
I feel like I’m in “Alice in Wonderland “..!”Im late ,Im late for a very important date”!!It drives me insane so I can empathise with you!!

 

[Rosalind297]

We tried a digital clock as Mum is obsessed by time but gets very confused by the second hand whizzing around on her watch and carriage clock. It didn’t work - it had no correlation to actual time for her, there were numbers that glowed in the dark (in the bedroom) and numbers that just kept flipping over with a click downstairs but the numbers meant nothing to her. Might work for someone else of course.

@Catastrophe I’m sorry, I had to smile at your story as we had mass confusion this end too particularly around lunchtime. Sadly though, the sun downing started really early yesterday, not helped by the fact that her normal programmes weren’t on as it was a Sunday, and she really panicked that the world had changed forever so we had her wanting to see her Mum (who died 38 years ago) and putting her coat on to go home quite a lot. She’s much calmer this morning.

 

[Champers]

Being obsessed with time seems to be a general “age” thing. Several of my elderly relatives, even without dementia, were always asking what time it was, when did we set out (travelling anywhere) how long has it taken us, what time are you coming - not an unreasonable question, but if I was even 5 minutes either side of the specified time, it was commented on!

 

[CWR]

I feel your pain..My dad is obsessed with time.At 11.30 He is telling me it will be lunch soon..
We have to eat at midday as heavens above we will be late.
I feel like I’m in “Alice in Wonderland “..!”Im late ,Im late for a very important date”!!It drives me insane so I can empathise with you!!

I can empathise totally. I feel terrible at times because I have to leave the room when I have been asked what time it is for the 6th time in as many minutes. The general repetition drives me bonkers, Once I was wearing a nice sweater but after being told Thats a nice sweater/ coat/whatever for the umpteenth time, I actually went up to my room and put another one on! I can see the funny side in retrospect.

 

[Stripey3]

Have you considered a Demetria clock?
It displays, day and date
It displays the time (can be set to 12hr or 24 hour clock)
And displays the words Morning, afternoon and evening.

I bought one for my father and he loved it

 

[susief59]

Have you considered a Demetria clock?
It displays, day and date
It displays the time (can be set to 12hr or 24 hour clock)
And displays the words Morning, afternoon and evening.

I bought one for my father and he loved it

 

[susief59]

I agree the dementia clock is wonderful

 

[Weasell]

I have a memrabel2 which is a posh Dementia clock. It tells you the time day and night or day. It can be programmed to give reminders as well. It looks like an IPad hanging on the wall. Very happy with it. I also have an Alexa show. The ‘show’ has a screen so the family can be seen when chatting which is handy, but the features that may help you would be the ability to ask Alexa what the time is and also in the morning set up reminders. For example if at 11.30 Alexa said ‘it’s going to be lunch time in half an hour’ do you think that would help? She can also give upbeat messages like it’s going to be a lovely afternoon’, and she is so easy to work you just say Alexa please set a reminder for Thursday at 15.00 hours and then she asks what you want to be reminded about. I don’t like Alexa alarms for dementia because you have to say her name to get them to stop.

 

[philologus]

Get an old clock and tell him that it is broken and you want him to help you to fix it.
Take a few pieces off and then let him work on it.
When he asks the time, just ask him if he's got the old clock working yet....

 

[Linbrusco]

When my Mum could no longer tell the time, but got confused with morning, noon, or night I bought a dementia clock.
It had a digital clock with the day & date which still was a bit pointless to Mum but importantly it had a picture of the sun from 6 am and said Morning
picture was the same at 12 pm but said Afternoon
picture changed to half sun at 5pm and said Evening and from 8pm to 7am it showed the moon and said night.
The times you could adjust to suit.

This worked really well for Mum for a week and then the anxiety kicked in. She would be waiting by the clock waiting for the picture to change.
When is it going to change
Why wont it change
Do you think it will change
What picture will it have

Had to get rid of it .