I haven't been on here in awhile. I hope everyone is doing well.
So, a lot has happened since I've last posted on here. We've moved gran to the town I live in. She actually is only a few minute walk from my apartment, so I can see her daily. The nursing home itself is far better than what she was in, and they stay very aware of how she is. Gran doesn't know she's moved to a different nursing home. She has gotten Pneumonia yet again. A nurse noticed her condition and had her taken to the hospital by ambulance in the middle of the night, about a week ago. Her new doctor went in to see her (he'd only seen her once before it and hadn't really assessed her Dementia). Her new doctor went in to check her lungs one day and asked her questions for awhile. He asked her how she was, what day it was, what week, month, year, etc. He asked her if she knew where she was or what her name was. She couldn't really answer most of it. He spoke with her a bit more and then spoke to us. He said he's positive it's Alzheimer's (her old doctor saw no reason to find out what kind---he'd just said "Old age Dementia"); her new doctor said that he felt comfortable wirh diagnosing her with the beginning of Severe stage Alzheimer's with Sundowning. He said we really need to all get together and get our affairs together and make up plans as to how we want her taken care of if this or that happens, as he said things will happen and he said it could be a couple months or a year, but he didn't feel comfortable in decisions at the last second. He said he thought this bout of Pneumonia was caused by aspirating food or drinks into her lungs. He noted with her stage and watching her sip things and choke, that he felt it to be most likely. He said that the only thing he could recommend was IVs and a feeding tube to prevent that, but he said otherwise all that can be done is pureed food and supervised drinks.
I tried to hold strong while hearing that. I'd look at the doctor and nod acknowledging what he was saying, but couldn't help catching myself looking at gran with such sadness. All in all, most of the time she's fairly content, as she doesn't know what's going on. She does get agitated sometimes when she asks about her mother; she asks me to call her so she can speak with her. I tell her that she can't right now, maybe later. I then change the subject... It doesn't always work well.
This can be so wearing. I hate to see this happen to her. Most of the time she doesn't say much, or just says random things as if she were commenting on something someone said, but no-one is there. Other times, she can really talk, but it's fueled by frustration and confusion. A lot of days she just nods. I feel so helpless. I feel like I should be helping her, but there's nothing else I can do. I can't stop this or turn back time. I feel so stupid for not seeing this sooner. I know she had Mild Alzheimer's for years, but then I didn't see it so much. I should've, though.
So, a lot has happened since I've last posted on here. We've moved gran to the town I live in. She actually is only a few minute walk from my apartment, so I can see her daily. The nursing home itself is far better than what she was in, and they stay very aware of how she is. Gran doesn't know she's moved to a different nursing home. She has gotten Pneumonia yet again. A nurse noticed her condition and had her taken to the hospital by ambulance in the middle of the night, about a week ago. Her new doctor went in to see her (he'd only seen her once before it and hadn't really assessed her Dementia). Her new doctor went in to check her lungs one day and asked her questions for awhile. He asked her how she was, what day it was, what week, month, year, etc. He asked her if she knew where she was or what her name was. She couldn't really answer most of it. He spoke with her a bit more and then spoke to us. He said he's positive it's Alzheimer's (her old doctor saw no reason to find out what kind---he'd just said "Old age Dementia"); her new doctor said that he felt comfortable wirh diagnosing her with the beginning of Severe stage Alzheimer's with Sundowning. He said we really need to all get together and get our affairs together and make up plans as to how we want her taken care of if this or that happens, as he said things will happen and he said it could be a couple months or a year, but he didn't feel comfortable in decisions at the last second. He said he thought this bout of Pneumonia was caused by aspirating food or drinks into her lungs. He noted with her stage and watching her sip things and choke, that he felt it to be most likely. He said that the only thing he could recommend was IVs and a feeding tube to prevent that, but he said otherwise all that can be done is pureed food and supervised drinks.
I tried to hold strong while hearing that. I'd look at the doctor and nod acknowledging what he was saying, but couldn't help catching myself looking at gran with such sadness. All in all, most of the time she's fairly content, as she doesn't know what's going on. She does get agitated sometimes when she asks about her mother; she asks me to call her so she can speak with her. I tell her that she can't right now, maybe later. I then change the subject... It doesn't always work well.
This can be so wearing. I hate to see this happen to her. Most of the time she doesn't say much, or just says random things as if she were commenting on something someone said, but no-one is there. Other times, she can really talk, but it's fueled by frustration and confusion. A lot of days she just nods. I feel so helpless. I feel like I should be helping her, but there's nothing else I can do. I can't stop this or turn back time. I feel so stupid for not seeing this sooner. I know she had Mild Alzheimer's for years, but then I didn't see it so much. I should've, though.
