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Not Understanding Dementia
Episode # 76
This week’s episode, I talk a little bit about some of the things that I don’t understand about dementia. One of the things that I don’t understand is where dementia comes from 2 how you get dementia and 3 why does it act the way it does.
It doesn’t seem that anyone knows exactly where or how you get this devastating disease of dementia. No one seems to know why it acts the way it does. There are some that say it’s connected to concussions, but the problem I have with that so far is the fact that, as far as I know. Mamas never had a concussion. So if dementia is connected to concussions why or how did mom get it.
I also don’t understand the way it affects some people so quickly because at episode 46, I talk about your personal appearance, because I had gotten my haircut and shave my beard. Episode 46 is a recording of the reactions I got from mom. When I recorded episode 46 Mama was so happy that I cleaned up. She was happy she ran her fingers through my hair and I got a lot of goo goo gaga from her. Approximately 4 days ago I got totally 360° different reaction from her, when I got my haircut and shave my beard once again. This reaction that I received 4 days ago was a terrifying look she didn’t want anything to do with me. She didn’t want to talk to me. She didn’t want to have anything at all to do with me. She was absolutely terrified of me.
I don’t have any real good explanations as to why she was so terrified, other than the fact that it was a quick and sudden change. I don’t believe she handle the quick and sudden change very well. I think she was very confused as to who I was, so that would explain the terrifying look that I getting for approximately 4 or 5 hours.
I also don’t understand why for some reason, Mama is getting nightmares. You know when you have small children, your 1st reaction to a nightmare is to just put your child in the bed with you and let them go to sleep as you are comforting them and let them know that it’s all right. You can’t do that with an adult who has dementia that has nightmares. The only thing you can do an adult is just comfort them. The best you can sit with them hold their hand and love on them until they calmed down from their nightmare. They will eventually just fall asleep in their own bed.
Medications are another thing that I don’t understand, When you have a child who’s on medication, you can somewhat force that child to take its medication. With an adult, you can’t force them to take their medication when they don’t want to take it. Trying to force them to take their medications is only going to upset them, which is going to upset you, which is going to upset them even more, and that’s not good for either one of you. The only thing you can do with their medication time is to take your time and if they don’t want to take it on time back off and come back in a little while and they will eventually take their medications. You may end up happening to do this several times in order for them to take their medication.
These are just some of the areas that I do not understand why dementia acts the way it does. Mama never had nightmares before, Mama never had a problem taking medications before. These are some signs of the dementia getting a little worse. I believe. The only thing I can think to say is don’t lose your patience with them, which I know is easier said than done, been there done that. When you feel yourself losing it just walk away. They’ll be okay even if they’re on the pot they will be okay. Come back and just tell them you love them, calm them down, if you can, because one day sooner than you may think they may not be here to tell them that you love them. They may not be here to give you problems with their medication. They may not be here to wake up from a nightmare. So just love on them as much as you can now, because one day they may not be here at all.
