I have taken the last three days off because I felt I had been not spending enough daytime hours with Mom. She's been feeling a little blue, watching the leaves fall and feeling the chill in the air. She is becoming so recluse. Today I insisted she had to go for a hair cut. She was looking shaggy and unkept. Her hairdresser is an Italian gentleman with a heavy accent. He flirts with her and although she says it embarrasses her, I think she likes it. I told Greg that Friday is mom's 92 birthday, and as we were leaving he said he wanted to give her a birthday kiss. Mom looked him straight in the eye and asked if he'd had his rabies shot! Everyone in the shop cracked up, especially Greg. Where did that come from? When we got home she asked why everyone was laughing at her, and I told her they weren't. As I told her the story she said she had meant to say, "Have you had your FLU shot!" Kathryn

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Alzheimers is a rough ride! Mom and I had a terrible summer; she has become very needy, clingy. I have had to take on a second part time job because being a caregiver is expensive. Mom has been in a decline and I have hired people to come in and talk to her a couple of times a day. These people have to be paid. She enjoys their company, but forgets what they said and did and it's back to the same old thing every day. She's bored. I'm stressed. Does anyone know anything about sundowning? We are going through this again and I think it has something to do with the change in light, shortening of days. I wonder if a SAD lamp might help? I've had NO LUCK getting to the "Experts" to pose my questions, so I'm hoping someone out there has had some experience with this. Kathryn

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Boy, has this been a rough couple of weeks.  My mom's been in a highly agitated state and has become verbally and physically abusive.  I know she is bored and tired of just sitting around the house, and she says she is sick of living, but she is completely unable to do what she used to do.  For goodness sake, she is 91 years old, and shouldn't be cutting grass. We went to the dentist the other day and she didn't remember him.  He's been her dentist for 45 years. I wanted to sit on the floor and cry.  Think maybe I'm just having a pity party for one.  Gotta buck up and do what I gotta do, right?

 I HATE THIS DISEASE!

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