I'm caring full time for Mum (and Dad, but that's a different story*) at the moment.
She's had the dreaded Alzheimer's for a long time now, her dementia was present from her early 60's and she's just turned 75, so it's been a long, slow decline. But recently it's starting to speed up, the last few months have seen frequent incontinence, wandering at night and now, weeping.
She cries all day, from when she gets up (I often open my bedroom door in the morning to find her standing right there, pyjamas, coat, hat, handbag, ready for "the shops" - 7.30am?!) to when she goes to sleep (refuses to take off her clothes, will get into bed with shoes on while complaining to her reflection in the mirror).
The crying tips us over the edge. We are generally a positive family, always able to see the funny side and create a normal environment from a very odd, difficult and often eccentric situation. But this was always because Mum lived in a bubble and was content in her dementia, we protected her from feeling different. Now that she is wracked with anxiety and weeping incessantly, it's become much more difficult to cope.
We've tried an anti-anxiety medication, which has made no difference, alongside a combo of galantamine and memantine. Next week we'll start with some diazepam, which we hope will provide some peace.
I'm not dealing very well with the weeping. Seeing Mum that unsettled is very upsetting. Hearing anyone cry is awful as it is. If anyone else I knew (without a diagnosis) was that upset so regularly, I'd be seeking immediate, emergency help. It seems with Alzheimer's that because it's a symptom, it's not treated as urgent. Plus, it's so disruptive and becomes very annoying.... I'm snapping more than I should because it just doesn't stop, and it's very hard to gauge what is a real emergency - is she hurt? is this a particularly bad day? has something happened that I didn't see but need to address? It's making life 100% more complicated and I feel like I'm letting us both down by losing my patience so often.
Mum goes to respite two days a week. They report that she is generally unsettled, and upsets other customers. I'm afraid that they'll say she can't keep attending if she isn't sufficiently tranquillised...
Has anyone else found any relief for incessant crying?
Has it passed or continued? Is it a typical AD trait?
Would love to hear from anyone dealing with a similar issue.
Thanks for letting me moan!
*Dad has cognitive impairment, prostate cancer, is mostly deaf and needs a back operation... so....fun.
She's had the dreaded Alzheimer's for a long time now, her dementia was present from her early 60's and she's just turned 75, so it's been a long, slow decline. But recently it's starting to speed up, the last few months have seen frequent incontinence, wandering at night and now, weeping.
She cries all day, from when she gets up (I often open my bedroom door in the morning to find her standing right there, pyjamas, coat, hat, handbag, ready for "the shops" - 7.30am?!) to when she goes to sleep (refuses to take off her clothes, will get into bed with shoes on while complaining to her reflection in the mirror).
The crying tips us over the edge. We are generally a positive family, always able to see the funny side and create a normal environment from a very odd, difficult and often eccentric situation. But this was always because Mum lived in a bubble and was content in her dementia, we protected her from feeling different. Now that she is wracked with anxiety and weeping incessantly, it's become much more difficult to cope.
We've tried an anti-anxiety medication, which has made no difference, alongside a combo of galantamine and memantine. Next week we'll start with some diazepam, which we hope will provide some peace.
I'm not dealing very well with the weeping. Seeing Mum that unsettled is very upsetting. Hearing anyone cry is awful as it is. If anyone else I knew (without a diagnosis) was that upset so regularly, I'd be seeking immediate, emergency help. It seems with Alzheimer's that because it's a symptom, it's not treated as urgent. Plus, it's so disruptive and becomes very annoying.... I'm snapping more than I should because it just doesn't stop, and it's very hard to gauge what is a real emergency - is she hurt? is this a particularly bad day? has something happened that I didn't see but need to address? It's making life 100% more complicated and I feel like I'm letting us both down by losing my patience so often.
Mum goes to respite two days a week. They report that she is generally unsettled, and upsets other customers. I'm afraid that they'll say she can't keep attending if she isn't sufficiently tranquillised...
Has anyone else found any relief for incessant crying?
Has it passed or continued? Is it a typical AD trait?
Would love to hear from anyone dealing with a similar issue.
Thanks for letting me moan!
*Dad has cognitive impairment, prostate cancer, is mostly deaf and needs a back operation... so....fun.
