This day has come around much sooner than I expected, but today my husband attended a day centre for the first time.
We took the decision jointly because he is no longer able to get to his Men in Sheds group ( no longer able to understand bus routes on his own) and his fortnightly 4hr group meeting for younger people with dementia is about to be reduced to 2.5hrs through lack of funding.
The only logical next step was to seek out a day centre to help make up some of the socialising loss.
I am pleased to say that it went very well. He enjoyed the entertainment (a singer), meeting new people, games and a two course dinner. There were some folk there with more advanced dementia, some with other disabilities and some with no disabilities but simply wanting to escape the loneliness and monotony of four walls at home.
He doesn't remember all that he did, but he does know that he enjoyed it and wants to go again next week. He certainly seems much brighter this evening than he has been for a few weeks.
I hope it stays that way because I got a call at work yesterday from the early onset group he attends and the leader was talking about everyone going through a review within the next few weeks.
I could tell from the tone in her voice that she felt that my husband would be better off leaving the group now (he has been more confused recently following a spate of UTIs) but I have said by all means do an assessment but to keep in mind that we are working with the Memory Clinic & GP to find the right level of medication (MC suggesting a long course of low dose antibiotics, GP yet to decide).
He loves the early onset group so I am hoping that between medical care and the socialising at the day centre, he will present as less confused at any review they have in mind.
We took the decision jointly because he is no longer able to get to his Men in Sheds group ( no longer able to understand bus routes on his own) and his fortnightly 4hr group meeting for younger people with dementia is about to be reduced to 2.5hrs through lack of funding.
The only logical next step was to seek out a day centre to help make up some of the socialising loss.
I am pleased to say that it went very well. He enjoyed the entertainment (a singer), meeting new people, games and a two course dinner. There were some folk there with more advanced dementia, some with other disabilities and some with no disabilities but simply wanting to escape the loneliness and monotony of four walls at home.
He doesn't remember all that he did, but he does know that he enjoyed it and wants to go again next week. He certainly seems much brighter this evening than he has been for a few weeks.
I hope it stays that way because I got a call at work yesterday from the early onset group he attends and the leader was talking about everyone going through a review within the next few weeks.
I could tell from the tone in her voice that she felt that my husband would be better off leaving the group now (he has been more confused recently following a spate of UTIs) but I have said by all means do an assessment but to keep in mind that we are working with the Memory Clinic & GP to find the right level of medication (MC suggesting a long course of low dose antibiotics, GP yet to decide).
He loves the early onset group so I am hoping that between medical care and the socialising at the day centre, he will present as less confused at any review they have in mind.
