An Alzheimer’s Morning: “Oh, no!”

Istiqlál (Independence), 11 Núr (Light), 169 BE – Friday, June 15, 2012 about 9:50 AM Pacific Time

It’s an Alzheimer’s morning; this is how I refer to it when Mom is upset, crying, angry, or agitated and this morning, she is crying and saying “Oh, no!”

“Mom,” I ask her, “what are you crying about?”

“Nothing,” she replies or “I don’t know.”

Mom begins crying and then a few minutes later, she says “Oh, no!”

Again, I ask, “Mom, what is wrong?”

“Nothing,” she replies. I fix her a bowl of dry cereal and this stops the crying for a few minutes, but again she says “Oh, no~” I adjust the dolls on her lap; however, this doesn’t seem to help.

The “Oh, no,” conversation could go on all morning or all day. I can’t get may to why she is upset because she doesn’t know herself. I’ve gen Mom all her morning medication, including the pill for agitation. I don’t know what else to do.

Mom moves the wheelchair with her feet. She tries to leave the room. I ask, “Mom, where are you going?”

“Anywhere,” she replies.

I pull the wheelchair back to the couch. Fortunately, if she tries to open the front door, the alarm system will say, “Front door open.”

The hospice C.N.A. came to give Mom her bath. Then about ten or fifteen minutes later, the bus from the daycare center picked her up. By the time the van got here, Mom was in a good mood and wanted to go outside. She didn’t cry or get upset when the driver pushed her wheelchair to the bus.