Nevertheless Dementia, We Persist

caregiving

I received a care call after dinner last night from Luna, the Director of Operations at Lynne’s assisted living. She says, and most staff say, caring for a family caregiver is as important as caring for each of her 120+ residents. She wanted me to understand Lynne is much improved since our drive her last Monday. She ate her full meal. She is agreeable, not aggressive; calm, not anxious. She sleeps better. Her feet don’t hurt. She likes her shoes. She helps residents but worries they don’t respond. Luna said, “I say, ‘Lynne, you have to remember, they have dementia.’ Lynne says OK and continues to help. It’s a marked change.”

The Boys and I saw similar responses an hour earlier in Outdoor Living. She welcomed me with a strong hug. She giggled to see them, talked, remembered, laughed. She wants the Boys to visit her room. The boys want to. We were encouraged.

She was excited about a thank you card, but when she read the cover that said ‘Cougars,’ she said, “She’s from Washington State.” When we left had to remind it was her card.

She remembered a South Eugene high school friend who contacted me. The friend had a riotous time with Lynne at the last reunion and plans to connect with her. The Boys reminisced with her because she took them with her for one of their driving trips. 

Staff are eliminating tranquilizers to get a new baseline and phasing in new ones, but Luna didn’t have the details. She promised information about her medications when she went back to work.

Let’s hope she is comfortable in the baseline and any replacement medications help her felicity. We know Luna’s care call helped my felicity.