Repetition

Line from a "senior" e-mail:

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

That line doesn't seem funny to me as it once would have. I live with that each day. My husband regularly asks the same question. I just don't get upset when he asks again.

When his son calls, he is asked repeatedly, "So how is everyone?"

We always call each other when we get to a location safely--usually work. He calls me twice sometimes to tell me he is at work. I act like it is the first time he has called. I wonder if I should call him twice when I get somewhere.

The digital recorder device my husband carries around is so useful. He asked about the lawn mower battery, a note on his digital recorder and I told him it had been taken care of. (Over a week ago, but I didn't say that.)

When we talk about it, he doesn't think he has a memory problem. "But," I say, "your doctor told you that you have dementia." He is in denial and doesn't remember what he is denying or has a memory problem.

Our Forgetfulness

1. I forgot to put my husband's doctor appointment on the calendar for March 9th and so he missed getting his blood work done. A month later I call to reschedule!
2. I do a favor and drive someone into town. I tell my husband I am doing this before I leave. Twice on the trip he calls me to ask where I am.
3. The shower faucet breaks. I have someone fix it, but he doesn't remember that it was broken, even though in the morning he was upset that he couldn't take a shower. (He doesn't like baths.)
4. I ask him to go to the tax accountant to pay for and pick up the prepared taxes. I am so proud that he gets himself there--he has been there many years, but this is more of a challenge at this time. The only problem was that he had prepared the check ahead of time to "Money Matters" instead of to the tax firm. I am sure he was very embarrassed when he presented the wrong check. He commented that it was a waste of his time and gas to go there.
5. There was a time when my husband installed mini-blinds and did other handiman projects including fence building. We were proud of his skills. No more does he do such things--he does vacuum, clean the carpet and mow the lawn, however, for which I am very grateful, but wondering how long until I need to do those chores. We get new energy efficient windows in the house. Our carpenter/painter takes down the mini-blinds for us, but it is three nights before the mini-blinds get installed. I try to arrange sheets over the bedroom windows. One night in the middle of the night he wakes up and rants and raves about no mini-blinds with the light on and hubby in his underwear and me in my pjs and the sheet not covering the window. Anyone driving by could have seen into our bedroom!
6. With a drought here recently, we haven't had to mow the lawn. We needed the lawn mowed for Easter for the granddaughter's egg hunt. However, the riding lawn mower didn't work--probably due to the fact that the gas hadn't been drained from it--a practice one needs to employ when it will not be driven for some time. Nonetheless, there were more places to hide eggs!
7. I tried to describe how my husband could get the lawn mower to the repair place. He was able to get it on the trailer, but was not able to find the repair place. I realize that he can go to work and back, to church and back, to the doctor and back and that is about all he can remember now. Verbal instructions don't work well for him.