A Personal Note

 

My three grandparents had progressive cognitive and physical changes that needed support:

  • Grampa had Alzheimer's type dementia
  • Gram had vascular dementia
  • Nana, who lived to be 107 years old, initially had mild memory changes

Each had individual needs and their challenges progressed in different ways. Before my grandparents moved in with my parents, my mom noticed changes when she visited:

  • The fridge didn't have much food in it.
  • My mom showed my grampa a container of moldy food and he said "it's fine - I'll eat it".
  • Gram stopped cooking and they bought prepared meals.
  • My mom discovered that my grampa would give my gram a pain pill "once in a while" after her surgery because he didn't realize she needed them twice a day.
  • There were many full pill bottles in the back of a cupboard.
  • My mom started calling daily to remind them of things.
  • Gram stopped reading - a pastime she enjoyed for years.
  • Grampa started to have trouble using his computer and remote control.
  • They were watching the same TV station all the time - not changing the channels or using the TV guide anymore.
  • Gram stopped cleaning  her house as much - she always had a very clean house.
  • Grampa stopped taking his daily walk.

If this sounds familiar - Memory Partners can help!