It's been such a long journey. I think Dementia was probably lurking many years back, when unlikely worries troubled Rob, and he sometimes behaved in ways that were out of character.
He was probably coping well when he needed to rehearse before a party the names of people we would see there.
He would worry at airports, and fret about things like our house insurance, things that he had always taken in his stride.
It became a family joke when he started to check three times that we had locked the house before an outing,
He developed ritual worries about his house keys, wallet, car keys, his glasses and his watch. We joked about it.
Later his driving began to be erratic, and he would become irritated by other drivers' actions, and blame them for his own misjudgements..
He had always been impatient, but short temper crept in, and that wasn't nice.
He began to be agitated in all sorts of situations, and worried.
And then he began the WANTING TO GO HOME phase, and dementia was evident.
He was waking at night, not understanding where he was, or what he was doing.
He began with difficulties in dressing himself, needing his clothes to be laid out in readiness.
Problems crept in with him needing the toilet urgently, and leaving it too late.And that led to distress and embarrassment.
We were in the thick of dementia, the HYPERACTIVE TODDLER phase, perhaps the hardest for his family to cope with.
That's when this thread was born, so if you've read it, you will know the rest.
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We've been through all the dramas and pressures and heartache as well as discovering the kindness and compassion that someone living with a person with dementia will encounter. This feels a bit like an. Ending, but no doubt I'll be back,chattering away, very soon...sending hugs , gratitude and love to everyone who has been involved...