OUR 36-hour day

Back to the book "The 36-hour day" it gave me some pointers, things i wasn't aware of,,,,,,But every human is different.......some tricks in the book work,others don't....we acknowlegde every minor improvement, we sit back and look.....every setback on the other hand is really depressing for the two of us.....yes she is mom is aware of her deteriorating memory and mental capabilities.....

So how about we share day to day experiences, new tricks,,,,,,,,i tried a couple i read in the book, some i made up.........

e.g. the book said involve them in preparing a meal,,,,,,,now mom was a great cook,,,, i used that as a memory trick,,,,being a mediocre cook myself i asked her about a pasta recipe, nothing too complicated,,,, she stumbled a bit but then she got it. most of it.......

e.g we work on reading a bit everyday, i was not aware that was becoming difficult,,,,,i knew it by accident.......i got her a prayer book, asked her to read a praye, i got one i knew she knew by heart (cheating? still a memory trick and reading all in one),,,,,,,she was starting to get really frustrated, so you might wanna take care when you do that,,,,,,,lines tend to cross over,,,,,,,,i kept my finger on the word i wanted her to read  all the while keeping the next line covered with a piece of paper....

and finally we keep a log book in our heads, when we go to bed at night we try to count where we got better and plan the next day's project.......

P.S. if the patient has progressive dementia, Alzheimer sort of thing i don't know if these tactics will work, they might do more harm than good....again every human is different, his illness, his life, spirit......etc.

REALLY looking forward to hearing tips from you,,,,,,,,I'm afraid i'll run out of those eventually....

Thanks everyone

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Lyn, mother is in a wheelchair and sensitive about it so going out isn't an option but the jigsaw puzzle idea is fun, i also found out she liked dominos........she liked card games but she's not that articulate yet to manage one....i hope she'll be soon

Bag lady: I know what you mean about your artistic sister,,,mother LOVED her work, and since we're both doctors so i go to her with problems from MY WORK and ask her what she thinks, what i should do......I sometimes really need her answer and they are really good........I ask her for advice as a WOMAN,,,,she likes that, she's still one

She had a flu the past couple of days so i didn't try to push things but i found out something: although she's not that talkative (very silent acually the past two days) she doesn't want to be left alone even if i'm sitting in the next chair, she thinks i'm ignoring her if i'm on the phone for too long, SO TOUCHING works wonders, foot massages....etc. There's a plus in foot and arm massage: it keeps her aware of her limbs......last week i asked which foot i was touching she said "right" (correct answer) then i started on the left and asked which foot was it again she said "right"  i laughed and pretended she was making a joke,,,Then i slid my hand up her leg, told her to look at he "LEFT SIDE" , she got it right after a couple of times.......so i try to keep her aware of different body parts.....simple yet i think is important......... 

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