would a checklist help ?

[darrell_1511]

hi everyone
my dad (aged 78) has dementia and recently we had to put him in a home to give my mum (aged 79) some respite. before he went, he used to think my mum was his mum, he was away for 12 days in total and when he came home, he remembered who mum was and said he loved her and missed her.

so i had a thought and wondered wether it would be a good idea to make a list to remind him who he is, what he did as a living growing up, telling him he is now retired and lives at home with his wife etc etc, do you think this would be helpful to him or counter productive as in making him more confused ?
kind regards darrell

ps: he was diagnosed about 18 months ago, he is now at a point where he is wetting himself (diabetes) confusion, difficulty with conversations, forgets what he was saying mid sentence, seeing things that arent really there, sometimes mistakes whats on tv with real life.

[Melly1]

Farrell, a memory book or memory wall sounds like a lovely idea. You could stick in photos of your Dad and the family, favourite places, write down memories and stories he loves/loved to tell. This could be shared with him by yourselves, visitors, care workers etc It would help preserve his memory for as long as possible and be shared with him in his more lucid moments.

Let us know how you get on.

Melly1

[Elaine]

Hi Darrell
It's a horrible thing and so sad when someone is suffering from dementia.
My dad had some form of mild dementia but was never formally diagnosed. He had a notebook in which he'd written all sorts of names in lists. Like people he'd worked with, friends from his childhood and current pals, family, their birthdays and occupations. All sorts of things he wanted to remember or could check up on.
Another tip might be to label cupboards and drawers with pictures if he finds words difficult. When my then 90 yr old Mum moved from her home of 56 years to a bungalow, I printed out labels for the kitchen, bedroom etc with things like 'knives and forks' or ' jumpers' so that she didn't have to search everywhere.
You could print out a picture of a bath or toilet and put it on the bathroom door for example. A picture of a bed on the bedroom door. If you go onto the Altzheimers site there's all sorts if information which might help you and your Mum cope.
I believe a memory scrap book or similar is helpful.
All the best
Elaine

[darrell_1511]

hi melly and elaine
many thanks for the feedback and idea`s, will let you know how it goes
kind regards darrell

[Fi_15061]

There is some very good info on the alzheimer's web site and a draft memory book. I'm working through that bit by bit with my mother; we add to it when she feels like talking. You can find more info here:
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scrip ... entID=1671