Mom did not have such a good day yesterday.
I picked her up - she was so ready to come home with me - had her little bag packed. :) She was Sundowning big time..
We get to our house - and she never settles. She nibbled at dinner (though Melecia did tell me she ate a good lunch and had snacked on her precious Mrs. Weaver's Salad), she folded some clothes (loves folding laundry), then she wandered all over the house with a paper towel just wiping - for almost two hours. She had a stomach ache - after she found relief - she rested. But she was up early and ready to go! I had a headache left over from yesterday and I felt real nervous for some reason - I couldn't sleep. Maybe I was sundowning!
As I type this I can't help but compare mom and dad. Dad went down so fast - he seemed to suffer so much. Mom is different - as Ronald Reagan's daughter wrote - it is the Long Goodbye. I am glad mom is not suffering physically. She is strong, walks and exercises - has a decent appetite. It is just the prison in her mind. Dad seemed to have known in someway what was happening and just gave up. After reading a blog or two - about treating infections and agitation - dad was totally over medicated 10 years ago. I have never wanted mom over medicated. I am funny about medicine. There are times when I may have to give mom an extra pill for agitation - I try to avoid it. Milk and a snack seem to do wonders for her. (especially if it is cookies!) I have learned that during peak sundowing time - to just get the house quiet and dim lights. I actually put the TV on "low stress" channels - the cooking channel, the weather channel, or just a kids comedy that doesn't have horrible language, etc. What seems to calm most is when we are driving in the car every morning - listening to Chuck Swindol. She loves to listen to him. Today we listened to part of Adrian Rogers and then Chuck Swindol.
Again, I appreciate Melecia so much. She had a rough day with mom yesterday but was real positive and happy when I got there- though I could tell she was tired.
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