It’s the solstice and mom had a really bad morning. I will never get used to the fear in her eyes. Dementia is a personal hell.
There are so many different causes of dementia, and I often wonder if my mother is afflicted with several of them, since we have yet to find a medication that relieves any of the symptoms.
Sometimes her behavior is like that of an autistic child, with repetitive hand movements and sounds and outbursts of anger. That was the way it was this morning.
I keep thinking that she might have some pain in her mouth, since tapping her mouth became one of those movements. However she has no other indications of such.
What she seems to be is a bundle of fears and anxieties. Music and rocking her sometimes helps, but not often.
She has lost weight because she just doesn’t want to eat much.
She is 93. There must be some magic potion that will relax her without knocking her out or having the opposite effect of making her even more anxious. So far, no prescription drugs have been able to do that.
Medical marijuana is not available here. I’m looking into some legal herbal possibilities.
I take a Passion Flower tincture to help me sleep, but it tastes awful, so she won’t take it. A maple-flavored Kava glycerite is a possibility.
Even though most of the medical profession still looks down on herbal remedies, they and their pharma buddies are not offering anything that works anyway.
It is so unfair that someone her age should have to bear the mental and physical anguish of dementia.
But then, it’s not fair that people are still being maimed and murdered in the Middle East.
Well, it’s happening again. I’m refurbing my blog and checking in the old timers to see how things are going. I’ve had stressful time, the last few years really. Health problems, aging father who is sliding downhill into dementia himself, no work leading to an early retirement… but it’s not all bad. The garden is doing fine. My son Ben got married. My housework skillz have improved by leaps and bounds.
I’m sorry that your mother continues to have such a hard time of it these last few years of her life, but she’s fortunate to have family who remain concerned for her.
I’ll see you later. Glad you’re still writing here!