Guest guest Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Pat, my dad relaxes alot and even laughs when one of my 6 animals are in his room, and yes he even hallucinates seeing them there when they are not, but i dont care, a laugh from him is so wonderful. we live in same house, our rooms are almost adjoined, but at times i find it so hard to even want to go in and see him. i hate the changes in him, i hate the lack of control i have in helping him. but my animals seem to help him the most, te rehab unit i had dad in had some hospital pets that owuld visit twice weekly that helped him alot, of course he thought they were my dogs, one was a border collie and one was a shetland and i have yorkies so big difference, but doees it matter again no, that smile and laughter was the best, even if only for a few moments. sharon m florida This morning I took my little grandaughter to the AL to visit my dad. She brought her little puppy. That is the first time he saw her puppy. He seemed happy to see us at first but only sat there and held the puppy and didn't talk hardly at all. He has been like this a lot lately. It was lunch time so I brought him to the table and went and sat down in the common area with my grandaughter. Not too long after he sat at the table he was up again saying that he was throgh eating. He always does this at lunch. He's getting to where he is eating less and less. He won't talk unless you say something to him. He is getting to where is mumbling in a low voice, even lower than usual. He wanted to lay down as soon as he got up from the lunch table. I helped him to his bed and left. It is so depressing to go visit him lately. When he does talk, he is in his past, doing things he has done in the past, like his work or his camp where he and mom use to go and stay the weekends and fish and swim. He was at the camp all day yesterday when I visited him and brought him to the Dr. I worry about him a lot. I fear that he is lonely at the AL. He seems to be getting worse since he's been there. I wonder if I am just second guessing myself for putting him there. It is so good to have all of you to vent to. Sorry if I just rattle on and bore some of you. Also it is so hard for others in my family to understand just how bad dad is because like some of you said that the illness comes and goes. Unless they care for them its hard to see all that this disease does to them. People come visit him for a few minutes and they call me and tell me that your dad's mind was so good and that he is doing great. He seems to hide this disease at times depending on who he is in front of. I know that this impossible but sometimes it seems like it. Do any of you experience these sort of things with this disease? Pat in Louisiana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Hi Pat, i have noticed that my dad likes routines, and if we alter teh routine by even 5 minutes he gets upset and teh PD symptoms really set in hard. we have brunch at 11am, we have dinner 5-5:30, snack and medicines between 8-9. i always make sure he has ice water by his bedside becuase he will never ask for a drink even if he is dying of thirst. so i just make things easily accessible for him. in many ways he is just beginning with LBD in others he is highly advanced in teh disease. but the bad moments are coming more often now. i also found keeping a calendar with all of the family's schedule on it, doctors appointments, bowling which donnie and i do together, keeps dad calmer. since he is still having more mental status good days, he can keep up with things with his calendar, he looks at it every morning and every nite, and seems less agitated with things. but have something unexpected come up, he gets really shaky and very upset. we go to the grocery the same day and time every week, go pick up perscriptions do whatever we can on a schedule, it is inconvenient at times, but anything to keep daddy from becoming dr jekyll again. hope this helps. sharon m. florida : Hi Pat, how long has your dad been in the NH? My mom no longer starts conversations. If you don't talk to her she won't say a thing and even then she may decide not to talk. Mom also drops off to sleep after eating or any other kind of activity. Watching the first 1/4 of a movie can sometimes be too much for her and there she is snoring lightly. Ask the people at the NH about their observations on you dad. You might find some clues to what's happening with him. Perhaps they can make an extra effort to get him involved in activities or setting up a routine for him. Courage my dad's moods >This morning I took my little grandaughter to the AL to visit my >dad. She brought her little puppy. That is the first time he saw >her puppy. He seemed happy to see us at first but only sat there and >held the puppy and didn't talk hardly at all. He has been like this >a lot lately. It was lunch time so I brought him to the table and >went and sat down in the common area with my grandaughter. Not too >long after he sat at the table he was up again saying that he was >throgh eating. He always does this at lunch. He's getting to where >he is eating less and less. He won't talk unless you say something >to him. He is getting to where is mumbling in a low voice, even >lower than usual. He wanted to lay down as soon as he got up from >the lunch table. I helped him to his bed and left. It is so >depressing to go visit him lately. When he does talk, he is in his >past, doing things he has done in the past, like his work or his camp >where he and mom use to go and stay the weekends and fish and swim. >He was at the camp all day yesterday when I visited him and brought >him to the Dr. I worry about him a lot. I fear that he is lonely >at the AL. He seems to be getting worse since he's been there. I >wonder if I am just second guessing myself for putting him there. It >is so good to have all of you to vent to. Sorry if I just rattle on >and bore some of you. > >Also it is so hard for others in my family to understand just how bad >dad is because like some of you said that the illness comes and >goes. Unless they care for them its hard to see all that this >disease does to them. People come visit him for a few minutes and >they call me and tell me that your dad's mind was so good and that he >is doing great. He seems to hide this disease at times depending on >who he is in front of. I know that this impossible but sometimes it >seems like it. Do any of you experience these sort of things with >this disease? > >Pat in Louisiana > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Hi Pat, how long has your dad been in the NH? My mom no longer starts conversations. If you don't talk to her she won't say a thing and even then she may decide not to talk. Mom also drops off to sleep after eating or any other kind of activity. Watching the first 1/4 of a movie can sometimes be too much for her and there she is snoring lightly. Ask the people at the NH about their observations on you dad. You might find some clues to what's happening with him. Perhaps they can make an extra effort to get him involved in activities or setting up a routine for him. Courage my dad's moods >This morning I took my little grandaughter to the AL to visit my >dad. She brought her little puppy. That is the first time he saw >her puppy. He seemed happy to see us at first but only sat there and >held the puppy and didn't talk hardly at all. He has been like this >a lot lately. It was lunch time so I brought him to the table and >went and sat down in the common area with my grandaughter. Not too >long after he sat at the table he was up again saying that he was >throgh eating. He always does this at lunch. He's getting to where >he is eating less and less. He won't talk unless you say something >to him. He is getting to where is mumbling in a low voice, even >lower than usual. He wanted to lay down as soon as he got up from >the lunch table. I helped him to his bed and left. It is so >depressing to go visit him lately. When he does talk, he is in his >past, doing things he has done in the past, like his work or his camp >where he and mom use to go and stay the weekends and fish and swim. >He was at the camp all day yesterday when I visited him and brought >him to the Dr. I worry about him a lot. I fear that he is lonely >at the AL. He seems to be getting worse since he's been there. I >wonder if I am just second guessing myself for putting him there. It >is so good to have all of you to vent to. Sorry if I just rattle on >and bore some of you. > >Also it is so hard for others in my family to understand just how bad >dad is because like some of you said that the illness comes and >goes. Unless they care for them its hard to see all that this >disease does to them. People come visit him for a few minutes and >they call me and tell me that your dad's mind was so good and that he >is doing great. He seems to hide this disease at times depending on >who he is in front of. I know that this impossible but sometimes it >seems like it. Do any of you experience these sort of things with >this disease? > >Pat in Louisiana > > > > >Welcome to LBDcaregivers. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2004 Report Share Posted June 4, 2004 YES!! Pat - sadly your description fits eerily with my experience with my dad. He had enormous mood swings. He was cheery one minute and reclusive the next! He also managed to put on a 'show' for irregular visitors and the docs. Some days I wondered if he was taking the p***! Yes my dad refused food - he quit eating and spat out his medication. He was aggressive and unkind too. Then he would be 'comatose' for a few days .... never knew what to expect. As far as explaining to family goes ... what about downloading some of the info here and letting them read up? You're doing a great job Pat We're right behind you Sally x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2004 Report Share Posted June 4, 2004 Liam would not start conversations and, at times, would not even contribute . Before he would always initiate conversation and always added things or jokes to the ones he was speaking with. Until the last several months he was better when other people were around then that ceased. Simmel my dad's moods >This morning I took my little grandaughter to the AL to visit my >dad. She brought her little puppy. That is the first time he saw >her puppy. He seemed happy to see us at first but only sat there and >held the puppy and didn't talk hardly at all. He has been like this >a lot lately. It was lunch time so I brought him to the table and >went and sat down in the common area with my grandaughter. Not too >long after he sat at the table he was up again saying that he was >throgh eating. He always does this at lunch. He's getting to where >he is eating less and less. He won't talk unless you say something >to him. He is getting to where is mumbling in a low voice, even >lower than usual. He wanted to lay down as soon as he got up from >the lunch table. I helped him to his bed and left. It is so >depressing to go visit him lately. When he does talk, he is in his >past, doing things he has done in the past, like his work or his camp >where he and mom use to go and stay the weekends and fish and swim. >He was at the camp all day yesterday when I visited him and brought >him to the Dr. I worry about him a lot. I fear that he is lonely >at the AL. He seems to be getting worse since he's been there. I >wonder if I am just second guessing myself for putting him there. It >is so good to have all of you to vent to. Sorry if I just rattle on >and bore some of you. > >Also it is so hard for others in my family to understand just how bad >dad is because like some of you said that the illness comes and >goes. Unless they care for them its hard to see all that this >disease does to them. People come visit him for a few minutes and >they call me and tell me that your dad's mind was so good and that he >is doing great. He seems to hide this disease at times depending on >who he is in front of. I know that this impossible but sometimes it >seems like it. Do any of you experience these sort of things with >this disease? > >Pat in Louisiana > > > > >Welcome to LBDcaregivers. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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