Mum is obsessed with the time

[xenaxs]

Hi ..
I'm new to the site .. Mum was diagnosed last year and has recently got obsessed with clocks, she constantly mentions that her clock has stopped. She says this about any clock she has in her sight. Has anyone else had experience of this ?

 

[marchuntington]

Hi there

Welcome to the site. I haven't spent much time on here recently but I know when my mum was diagnosed 5 years ago it was a great place for support and information.

My mum didnt get obsessed by clocks but did have her own obsessions (they keep changing throughout her illness). Sometimes it seems to be habitual (she went through time where she would constantly be neatening fabrics up like flattening sheets, re arranging her an other people clothes), sometime it seemed to be based on her past and some seem to be random.

I dont know if this helps but I hope it does.

 

[Kymo]

Obsessional behaviours

Unfortunately people with dementia do have their obsessions. My mum was diagnosed 6 months ago. Totally out of the blue. I think I'm still in shock. My mum is obsessed with going out all the time. We're constantly going out to shopping centres or for drives. It leaves me exhausted every day. And the frustrating (and heartbreaking) thing is that I don't think she even enjoys it. But this is something I have to accept and learn to deal with.

 

[Dikimiki]

A suggestion

Hi ..
I'm new to the site .. Mum was diagnosed last year and has recently got obsessed with clocks, she constantly mentions that her clock has stopped. She says this about any clock she has in her sight. Has anyone else had experience of this ?

It may be a silly response to your problem but could you take the clocks out of your mother's view and when she misses them, if she does, simply say it (they) are in for repair or they are having the time adjusted for summer time, or any rational excuse.
Obsessions are indeed frustrating and exhausting and the constant day trips, mentioned by another poster, are something I experienced with my wife who on our return to the drive of the house would refuse to get out of the car as she wanted to go for a drive!

 

[xenaxs]

Hi ..
I'm new to the site .. Mum was diagnosed last year and has recently got obsessed with clocks, she constantly mentions that her clock has stopped. She says this about any clock she has in her sight. Has anyone else had experience of this ?

Thanks for all the responses I had .. Much appreciated..
I did remove the clocks in my flat but she became agitated and kept asking why I didn't have clock and constantly insisting on buying me one.
She has also started to have random aggressive outbursts which don't last too long and are very upsetting & stressful to deal with.

 

[nmintueo]

Do the clocks in question have a second hand - i.e. one that you can actually see moving? Or a swinging pendulum, or a ticking noise, or a digital second display - anything that shows it's doing something?

Might make no difference, but only one way to find out.

 

[Sue J]

I was obsessed with time when my symptoms first started because I was losing a sense of it, another part of me though stopped wearing my watch as I knew it was just frustrating me and I couldn't 'keep' to time. Symptoms a bit more stable now and living without visual clocks/watches very difficult so have them in appropriate places.

Friend with D also has clocks everywhere and realise she has had it for many years and obviously got herself a radio controlled clock so she knew the time was always updated and correct, everyday at the same time it resets itself, maybe your mother would accpet one like that as she would see it readjusting and not worry about it stopping? My friend, being independent and alone was obvioulsy aware of her symptoms and helping herself to adapt.

I can understand that it would be very agitating for your mother not to have a visible clock.

Best wishes
Sue

 

[piedwarbler]

You might find a digital clock solves your problems. People with dementia often can't tell the time on an analogue clock x

 

[Cookie21]

My Mum had a thing about time. The normal thing for Dementia sufferers, sundowning...but also when it came round to changing the clocks, Mum was blaming the Prime Minister for changing the time...think he can be blamed for a lot of things...but not the hour difference!

 

[MeganCat]

Mum had a thing about date day and time and was always asking me what time it was, day it was etc etc and religiously ticking days off on a calendar - I don't think she could read a clock face and so got her one of those digital clocks that give the day date and time in digital format

 

[MsCliffHazel]

You might find a digital clock solves your problems. People with dementia often can't tell the time on an analogue clock x

I agree with you. People with Dementia loses the sense of time and they got obsessed with the clock because they are unaware of the time and day. There is a digital clock which tells not only the time but also the date. It has also night and day indicator that might be helpful as well.

 

[2jays]

I agree with you. People with Dementia loses the sense of time and they got obsessed with the clock because they are unaware of the time and day. There is a digital clock which tells not only the time but also the date. It has also night and day indicator that might be helpful as well.

Sadly it may be useful for only a very short time.

My mum was obsessed with her diary, clock, watch, lists.... once she started to struggle with the clock, nothing made sense to her.

She had to have a diary, even though she couldn't work out what day it was even when it was written on a white board

I spent so much wasted money trying to buy her things to help her with the time, day, date. As distressing as it is to her and to you, nothing is going to help her for long, so think long and hard before spending out too much money

All said with a broken heart because mum can't even make lists anymore xx


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

 

[MsCliffHazel]

Sadly it may be useful for only a very short time.

My mum was obsessed with her diary, clock, watch, lists.... once she started to struggle with the clock, nothing made sense to her.

She had to have a diary, even though she couldn't work out what day it was even when it was written on a white board

I spent so much wasted money trying to buy her things to help her with the time, day, date. As distressing as it is to her and to you, nothing is going to help her for long, so think long and hard before spending out too much money

All said with a broken heart because mum can't even make lists anymore xx


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

I'm sorry to hear that. It might not help in a long run but it can help for the time being I guess.