Brian came to hospital in an ambulance a couple of days ago. He's banged up from a fall and as late afternoon comes he starts sun downing. He wanders about, peeking behind curtains as he looks for his keys. When there is a stranger behind the curtain (and there always is) he apologises and turns away.
He "needs his keys to drive home" and at his most agitated he says "I've been a member here all these years and I've never lost my keys"
Poor old codger
Poor, poor Brian.
ReplyDeleteYes. He seems happy enough but the confusion is heart breaking
DeleteA friend with dementia died Sunday. Dementia is so cruel.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you lost a friend. I don't have much experience of dementia but I know it's cruel
DeleteIt's very sad looking after dementia patients. I've looked after people just like Brian.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why but when I started reading your post I thought Brian was a dog! By the end I had figured out he wasn't.
Lol! Brian would be a good name for a dog
DeleteVery sad. I can't imagine what it feels like to be so disorientated and confused.
ReplyDeleteHe seemed in reasonable spirits.
DeleteI saw so much of this when my father was in the nursing home. He was not confused except when he was ill, but one third of the other patients there were in the Alzheimer wing and their behavior ranged from heartbreaking (asking when will my son be here to take me home, every evening) to alarming (slapping people if they tried to talk to them and they weren't in the mood to be talked to, or swearing - amazing what came out of the mouth of one lady whom I had known before as a well-mannered and kind person). I felt sorry for all of them. If their former selves could have seen their current selves, they would be so upset. My mother is headed in that direction and I dread it. And along with that dread is the worry that I will inherit the condition.
ReplyDeleteAll we can offer those patients is patience and kindness.
Yes, it's sad. The nurses kept telling Brian where he was and when his daughter was coming but one fella took the approach of asking him about his past, which worked well to distract him. He was also completely lucid
DeleteSad.
ReplyDelete