Time portal!

MsG82

Does this happen with anyone else? My mom, mid stage, literally forgets where she is if she walks out on to the deck of our home like she is entering a time portal. She has been in the neighborhood for 50 years and in this house for 15 years. As soon as we step outside to get some sun she wants to know when she is going home, where she is going to sleep and when did all of the changes happen? She is nearly blind from MD which adds to her confusion but she can easily find her way around inside the house. I try to take her outside on nice days to give her something to do but the aftermath of confusion and her anxiety makes me wonder if it is worth it.

karenblevins

I’ve moved in with my father who is also mid stage Alzheimer’s. I thought interaction with friends and family would be good for him. I was wrong. It causes him stress and anxiety because he’s starting to forget who extended family members are. I’ve personally come to the conclusion not to have him out to functions and have family over at a minimum. I still have family over a couple times a week on a regular schedule. My advice would be not to take her outside. I know it sounds like a good idea but anything that causes her anxiety makes it worse. I’ve also found keeping a strict schedule has helped with anxiety and stress.

M1

This happens to my partner in MC. When she is in her room, it seems like her safe haven, but she can't remember what is on the other side of the door. Even where to go to eat. If I take her for walks out in the facility and courtyard, she forgets that she has a room. All memories of our current and past homes are completely gone. Eerie kind of. Feels like a stage 6 symptom to me.

Quilting brings calm

edited: the comment I reported to the moderators has been removed- or at least has been blocked from me - so I have removed the quote of it from here.

valerieorr

We are having a similar situation; Mom usually wants to go home after napping or late afternoons, although she has had the same request in the mornings if she wakes up particularly early or is particularly confused that morning. She believes there is an identical house across town that is the same, down to the furniture and everything in it. She will sometimes want to take a bunch of clothes and shoes with her because they belong at home. Usually we can go for a drive and when we get back she's home; last night she said we weren't going the right way and if we didn't want to take her home, we should've said something. Bottom line, she called another family's house! We ended up sleeping in the living room as she didn't want to sleep in the other family member's bed and she seemed fine this morning. BUT she's napping now...

Maybe driving or walking a short distance your "home" will help; one of Mom's favorite sisters says to just flat out tell her this IS her home and we're not going anywhere and another tells her to go to bed or sit down and relax and she'll be there in a while...the intent is to get her to fall asleep, not for the sister to actually show up.

We haven't been too successful with either of these.