I attended my second Alzheimer's Support Group meeting tonight. I missed the last two months due to schedule conflicts so I made sure I was available for this one. I arrived in the middle of another person's story... and oh how sad his story was... I had to fight back the tears big time listening to this man talk about his wife of 60+ years and how he is by her side 24/7 and she just treats him like crap mentally. She accuses him of stealing her clothes, her toothbrush, everything and anything. He was practically bawling while asking the group why she says the things she says to him... It was awful! I am sure it is so much harder to deal with a person with Alzheimer's all day and night... especially a spouse... and his not having accepted where she is mentally yet is the worse... he almost seems to be in denial of her condition... it breaks my heart...
When it was my turn to talk, I told them about my Grandmother's lastest episodes... the "bugs biting her", the constant accusations of the staff and residents stealing her silverware, her striped shirts, her good shoes, etc., the list goes on and on. The weekends seem to be when she is like this the most. I beg my family and her friends to go visit her on the weekends to keep her active... I try to call her several times a day to keep her mind from wandering... The Group leader gave me some good advice and I tried to give that older man some of my own advice. All in all, I am glad I went.
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