Sunday, May 22, 2011

What time is it?

Over the past couple of days mum has really been struggling with time and the routine with the carer. Since she came out of the hospice, after demanding four carers a day were NOT imposed on her, she has been asking where the forth carer is. Every evening when the third carer has visited and got mum ready for bed, she will ask what time the last one is coming, and what time she can go to bed.
Explaining over and over that there are no more carers, she is yet to grasp that there are only 3 carers a day, plus my sister at lunch time.
Until yesterday this was not too much of a big deal, just a repeated conversation each evening, which is simple enough. Asking when she can take her meds, what time she can sleep, and what time the last carer will call. All easy.
However yesterday that all changed.
The carers changed around a bit as it was the weekend, which might have started the ball rolling. The evening carer did the morning visit, and the afternoon carer did the afternoon and evening visits.
For some reason during a conversation with Fatima (usual afternoon carer) mum believes she asked if she could come to mum later. This may have been prompted by mum commenting that she was early, to which the carer would have responded "did you want me to come back later". Either way mum assumed the carer was coming back late at night.

To add to the confusion, mum then thought there was another carer coming so waited up. At about midnight she pressed her buzzer, and Chantal went to see what was up. Mum has re-written this to be Fatima letting herself in at midnight, and is now furious that she did this. Subsequently she complained to the morning carer this morning, which was reported to head office.

From there on the story spirals into such a tangled web of confusion, I dare not start typing it all, in the fear of being institutionalised. The end result is mum not understanding the explanation of the carers timetable. I have marked the clock and written a key to what times people are expected, but on showing her it, she could not work it out, let alone understand what order it went in.

There is also a problem with her hearing things. Insisting the doorbell is constantly ringing. Which its not.

Add all this together, and add in her inability to complete a sentence, forgetting mid-flow what she was talking about. Not remembering that she saw someone half an hour ago, repeating her stories over and over, and all other such things, and now it becomes a serious concern.

Her train of thought is truly derailed, so help is required. I will speak to the GP tomorrow and we shall have to go from there.

Today has been a very testing day... I need a holiday. Magaluf anyone?
Regards
Michael

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