Holiday Plans Low Key

Wednesday October 17 2012

After discussions with my Alzheimer’s experts I have decided we will have a very low key holiday season this year. It is all too much for Mom to handle. So if it is okay with all of you, we will not do any big dinners, gatherings, gifts or tree. We need to stay away from shiny and fluttering things like bows and gift wrap, ornaments and flashing lights. All of them tend to stress Alzheimer’s patients and Mom is very far out on the edge now. She is anxious and upset all of the time. She wants to go home so bad she is running out on me several times a day now. And her attitude is severally depressed and negative. Everything is always wrong and off-setting to her. So we need to keep everything calm and routine. She may need even more than the double Zanax she is getting now which will put her to sleep earlier.   Just so you know her bed time is 7PM these days and she sleeps in till about 7-8AM most mornings. Her congestive heart failure is worse and I give her water pills frequently to keep the fluid retention down. She’s up to 140 pounds today, up from 125 after her last hospital stay. We are watching her close. She goes to the doctor again on Oct 25^th. In fact we will go get blood work done today.