The ups and downs of dementia

Yesterday we collected logs from a friend.  Went over in Ash's beloved truck, filled the back with wood then came home to unload.  I offered to help but wasn't needed which was good and Ash then spent a happy couple of hours unloading logs into a wheelbarrow and wheeling the load to the back of the house to add to the ever growing pile.  When we lit the fire last night he was a very happy bunny.  He could see what he'd done and he knew he'd made a difference so last night was full of chat, smiles and a return of his sense of humour.  Luckily I now know better than to expect it to last as this morning, because I'd picked up dirty clothes from the bedroom floor last night for washing and hadn't replaced them with clean ones, he had no idea what to do when he got up.  No idea where to look for clothes and no idea what clothes to look for if he did locate the right cupboard which meant he didn't know whether to get out of bed or spend the morning lying there looking out of the window.  Luckily he came to find me and ask what to do but it's another example of his state of mind and what needs thinking of just so that he can function.  And a reminder that dementia isn't just about not remembering.


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Comments

dasntn said…
Hi Jane
that's a very valid point. People who have not experienced dementia in their lives tend to think of it as not remembering things too well, like where you left the house keys etc. That was probably me before my wife was diagnosed.

I have read (somewhere) that maybe we should talk about Brain Failure, the way that heart conditions are described as Heart Failure. It tends to give a more encompassing description of what is happening.

Glad to hear that the log collection went well - a good moment.

all the best
David
Jane said…
I like that David. Brain failure is definitely a good description and explains so much more than the word 'disease'. Penny Garner from the Contented Dementia Trust says that dementia is a disability of the brain and is working to get it classified as such.