My father passed away on Thursday after a 14 week stay in hospital. My mother has advanced alzheimers and has over the weeks believed it was her dad in hospital (he died 45 years ago). My sister and I told her of our fathers death but again she thought it was her dad. We then made her understand it was her husband and of course she broke down but 10 minutes later she had forgotten. The nurses said they found her very upset the following morning but she didn't know why and they didn't remind her (on advice from the senior nurse).
Now we need advice on how to handle the funeral. It will be a reqium mass followed by a burial. We feel we must take our mother to the funeral but would the graveside be too distressing for her. If she still believes she is burying her father should we let her think that or remind her that it is her husband?
From a few days after my dads accident (he fell down the stairs) she has thought we were visiting her dad in hospital, it was almost as though she had wiped dad from her memory. She seems to have gone back to a time before she even met my dad. Only twice in 14 weeks has she refered to the house she lived at with my dad at the time of the accident and then she seems to think she lives there with her mum and dad.
She has got very much worse since my fathers accident so we are concerned that the funeral will make her even worse.
Advice please. Has anyone else had to cope with this situation and how did it go?
Now we need advice on how to handle the funeral. It will be a reqium mass followed by a burial. We feel we must take our mother to the funeral but would the graveside be too distressing for her. If she still believes she is burying her father should we let her think that or remind her that it is her husband?
From a few days after my dads accident (he fell down the stairs) she has thought we were visiting her dad in hospital, it was almost as though she had wiped dad from her memory. She seems to have gone back to a time before she even met my dad. Only twice in 14 weeks has she refered to the house she lived at with my dad at the time of the accident and then she seems to think she lives there with her mum and dad.
She has got very much worse since my fathers accident so we are concerned that the funeral will make her even worse.
Advice please. Has anyone else had to cope with this situation and how did it go?