Moneybags – Alzheimer’s in the Family

This has been a week. We came back to mom’s house as she was so fearful about hurricane Dorian. It wasn’t too bad here, just howling winds and rain. She was fearful here too but she was home.

Mom has had several good days in a row, which has been a blessing. Yesterday she was so lost and irritable. She slept a lot and asked me questions about her sister Gayle who died the first of June. She had such a sad day and was dwelling on things one minute and forgetting in the next and on to the next “bad” thing. There was no redirecting yesterday.

Her BP and pulse are staying pretty low. Heart rate has been steady around 45 for the last couple of days. We have a follow up with her doctor next week to develop a plan of management. With her not eating nearly enough, the options are few.

I cleaned her house yesterday and fixed the leak in the bathroom shower. I’ve become quite handy. It’s a necessity here in rural eastern North Carolina as we waited 4 days for a plumber who promised each day he would be here but he never came. Sigh.

Mom has decided she is going to stay in her house and to hell with anyone else’s needs and responsibilities. I told her that she would have to go with me back to the beach and she informed me that she has money and she will pay for someone to stay with her 24/7.

This is all very interesting as she has had to live on a strict budget on her fixed income just to make ends meet. I have been paying for house repairs and upkeep and to have her HVAC repaired, which was costly. She tells me now that she paid all those things because she has money. Something about her disease has her convinced that she can pay for everything. Expensive repairs, nice meals out, anything at any price. It’s really scary so she has no access to her finances.

One way that I handle her trying to pay for everything is that I tell her,”You paid yesterday, let me pay today.” So far that is working.

Mom got up early today and is having a day similar to yesterday. We just play it one day at a time, one hour at a time and play it as it lays. That is all that we can do.

More later.