Concern's Are Growing

kay_valentine

Registered User
Nov 27, 2006
16
0
Gateshead, Newcastle
My Nana, seems to be getting worse, she has punched a nurse in the chest and has fell over and broken her wrist (she has a bright pink cast, which makes her very happy lol) we had her out for the day to a local shopping centre and her bestfriend was there and my nana said i am going to see my dad, her friend turned round and said you cannot, your dad is dead and my nana welled up in tears.

Loads of people have stopped me in the street and asking how my nana is, and it just gets to me alot, with me being young I cannot deal with all the emotions and stress that comes with it - I tell them the hospital is doing the best they can and she will improve.

They have had to double her intake of tablets, she has also been accusing one of the male nurses as a rapist, which is a nightmare!!! beileve me!!!.

She has now found a new hobby of knitting, but we have to supervise her lol incase she takes it to this (rapist nurse) lol, she tellws us she is knitting jumpers for the whole family with bug stars on the front.

She has also quit smoking which I am thankful for, she does not feel the need to have one, which am surprised as I have grown up around my grandparents smoking.

Please leave your view, thoughts and comments as theyare greatly appreciated and I take all of them into consideration.

TP is the best website by far for people and their families with this condition.

I will keep you upto date on how the old 'biddy' is doing lol


Take Care

Kayleigh

x
 

zed

Registered User
Jul 25, 2005
76
0
London
Hi Kayleigh

It sounds like you care a great deal about your nan.

When she makes wild accusations like someone being a rapist, this could be her way of trying to make sense of a situation which is confusing to her. She might have a negative feeling about this nurse, or maybe she has confused him in her mind with someone else who she has had a negative experience with, and she cannot explain this properly. Therefore she accuses him of rape as they conveys her negative feelings. This is just a suggestion. She could even have had a dream about him, or a hullucination, and she doesn't realise this is not real. Or maybe she has forgotten what the word rape means, and she means something else.

About her punching someone: you need to put yourself in someone with dementia's shoes. They might be angry, upset or frustrated about something, and they might not be able to express this with words. So one way they can do this is through physical aggression.

It is difficult to know what to say to someone with dementia if they have forgotten someone has died. If someone is in the early stages and someone close to them dies, then I think they shoud know. But clearly if you Nan thinks her father is alive, then she is not going to be able to understand that he died many years ago. So there is no point in telling her he is dead as that will upset her. It is better to provide love and reassurance in any way you can.

Hope that is helpful.
 

kay_valentine

Registered User
Nov 27, 2006
16
0
Gateshead, Newcastle
Yeh I know that Zen, and thanks for you comments, but I still finding it hard to deal with all these emtoions I have to overcome them, it is doing my head in - we had my nana down for a curry on sat and she ate every pick of it off her plate, she wanted more lol, we give her Lucozade to drink o keep her energy levels up and she will only drink it if she thinks Brandy is in it, so we tell her it is Brandy lol

x
 

zed

Registered User
Jul 25, 2005
76
0
London
Sounds like you are doing the right thing by telling her it is brandy! Often telling a small white lie is the best way to go. I am arranging for my mum to go to a day centre, but i am not calling it a day centre, I am calling it a social club, otherwise she won't go!
 

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