Thursday, July 12, 2007

"I'm A Wanderer, Yeah A Wanderer"

Mom "wandered" for the first time today. And that begins a new dimension to the disease. Many Alzheimer's patients develop a behavior of wandering and then getting lost. When they don't know where they are, or think they need to get home, they just start walking.

This morning mom seemed upset when the house keeper was here. She was agitated but I'm not sure why. When I questioned her, she ignored me (no wonder I choose partners that are passive aggressive), put on a sweatshirt and jacket, and out the door she went.

We live on a dead end street and she walked down towards the closed side which is quite a ways...maybe 300 yards or so. At the end is a loop of pavement that goes around a fire hydrant. I stood and watched her from out of sight to see where she was going and to make sure nothing happened. She walked down the road, stopping every now and then to observe the various houses and yards, made the loop, and returned home.

She came in the house and after that she was in a good mood. Regardless, this is not a good sign.
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1 comment:

proudprogressive said...

Oh yes without a doubt - if mom does not have a braclet its time for one. Bless her heart. And again how lucky to have you watching this time from afar. How lucky to have the neighbors you have, those nurses etc. Its just a safety aspect. We never know, when we turn our heads for a second or two a lot can happen. Glad her little hike ended well. Love your sense of humor YOY, giving it a sound track. I started hmming when i read the post.

Hang in the bud-

PP