This is just a sort of update for those that remember me and Monique.... 2007 was about the worst year of my life - well the most awful decisions to make - like putting Monique into a home.
Looking back I can see I was nearer to 'cracking' than I realised. Just been reading 'Cliffs' really interesting thread and it occurs to me that what we are all having to deal with, is actually mental illness - people we love going 'nuts'. We get so occupied with the symptoms, incontinence, anger, repetitive nonsensicle actions, difficulties walking and talking and and and that we sort of block out the basic problem which is that their brains are all messed up and are never ever going to 'unmess'...
It was bad 2007 - really bad... when Monique first went into the specialist Alzheimer's home it in fact went better - well no worse than I expected and she seemed to settle after about 3 months.... Not sure if it was the cause or coincidence but following a visit by her brother, who I suspect spent the time talking about all the things that were once nice but are now long past, Monique became seriously depressed and after some weeks stopped eating and drinking for several days.. her weight shot down to the point she looked like a very old Belsen inmate. The home called me and she was admitted to hospital as an emergency...
She wreaked havoc there... trying to escape - shouting for her mother at the top of her voice - I could hear her when I called the 'nurses station' and the 'consultant' had to put her on powerful tranquillisers so that other 'normal' patients could sleep!!!! Made me smile the idea of Monique making herself 'known' to them all,,,,,,,,,
All the tests showed there was no physical reason for not eating but that she was 'clinically depressed' and the hospital doctor prescribed new and different tranquilisers and sent her back the home... The effects were basically good - she is sometimes not depressed at all... Once or twice almost 'contented'... Eating better... There are now bad visits and better visits... She is of course still totally do-lally but much less depressed and anxious.;... So maybe 2008 will be better for her as well...
I am moving house to Saujon which is only 15 minutes from her Alzheimer's home... That will make the visits physically easier and ..... Not a lot more to say really... There are 53 Alzheimer's inmates in the home from 'just a bit off the wall' to almost dead... The 'animators' do their best to entertain them and 'stimulate' them, the 'staff' are patient and caring and all 53 seem to want to escape and return to their mothers or childhood home.... I now see it all more like 'one flew over the cuckoo's nest' rather than 'cancer ward'.. but in either case it will all end in the same way... So far 2008 has been good to me... Keeping everything crossed!
Michael
Looking back I can see I was nearer to 'cracking' than I realised. Just been reading 'Cliffs' really interesting thread and it occurs to me that what we are all having to deal with, is actually mental illness - people we love going 'nuts'. We get so occupied with the symptoms, incontinence, anger, repetitive nonsensicle actions, difficulties walking and talking and and and that we sort of block out the basic problem which is that their brains are all messed up and are never ever going to 'unmess'...
It was bad 2007 - really bad... when Monique first went into the specialist Alzheimer's home it in fact went better - well no worse than I expected and she seemed to settle after about 3 months.... Not sure if it was the cause or coincidence but following a visit by her brother, who I suspect spent the time talking about all the things that were once nice but are now long past, Monique became seriously depressed and after some weeks stopped eating and drinking for several days.. her weight shot down to the point she looked like a very old Belsen inmate. The home called me and she was admitted to hospital as an emergency...
She wreaked havoc there... trying to escape - shouting for her mother at the top of her voice - I could hear her when I called the 'nurses station' and the 'consultant' had to put her on powerful tranquillisers so that other 'normal' patients could sleep!!!! Made me smile the idea of Monique making herself 'known' to them all,,,,,,,,,
All the tests showed there was no physical reason for not eating but that she was 'clinically depressed' and the hospital doctor prescribed new and different tranquilisers and sent her back the home... The effects were basically good - she is sometimes not depressed at all... Once or twice almost 'contented'... Eating better... There are now bad visits and better visits... She is of course still totally do-lally but much less depressed and anxious.;... So maybe 2008 will be better for her as well...
I am moving house to Saujon which is only 15 minutes from her Alzheimer's home... That will make the visits physically easier and ..... Not a lot more to say really... There are 53 Alzheimer's inmates in the home from 'just a bit off the wall' to almost dead... The 'animators' do their best to entertain them and 'stimulate' them, the 'staff' are patient and caring and all 53 seem to want to escape and return to their mothers or childhood home.... I now see it all more like 'one flew over the cuckoo's nest' rather than 'cancer ward'.. but in either case it will all end in the same way... So far 2008 has been good to me... Keeping everything crossed!
Michael