Engagement problem

dcare45

I am having trouble getting DW to engage in any activities throughout the day. In the morning and right after the afternoon potty break, she will sort/shuffle her papers and talk for about an hour to an hour and a half. Then sits down and really is inactive in the between times. She used to work in an office environment and handled documents all day. I found if I give her the "mail" she will stay busy for a while shuffling it around. I try to keep her talking in the between times however she has some aphasia so it's really not a conversation. More of partial sentences and made-up words. But I can see engagement in her eyes even if I don't know what she is actually trying to say. I feel badly that I cannot keep her mentally active (as much as possible). We are stage 6.

We have been through puzzles, cards, pictures, games etc. and she no longer has interest in any of these. Going out to eat is no longer really possible. She gets too anxious in restaurants, has the Alzheimer's shuffle so going for a walk is out. No longer enjoys just going for a ride. DW seems relatively content. I am just having a hard time with the blank stare.

Thanks for listening.

sfrsythe

I’m sorry!!!!

BikingOldMan

You are not alone. You describe what I've been dealing with perfectly. Life does return briefly though when around other people. It's hard.

harshedbuzz

@dcare45

However painful this is for you, you are doing an excellent job meeting her in her world.

My aunt had been an executive admin years and years ago. She was very content to copy things and staple them together.

HB

annie51

I agree with. @harshedbuzz that you are doing an excellent job meeting her in her world. I went through this with my DH when he lost interest in puzzles, games, etc. and he too had severe aphasia. He never lost his interest in walking and car rides though so I was lucky there and I could get him to watch some television. I could also pull out his old high school yearbook or some picture books (those big coffee table books) we had and look at those pictures with him. If your DW seems content when she’s not doing anything, I wouldn’t worry too much about keeping her engaged. Keep up the things you’re doing and keep talking with her to make her feel comfortable and safe. You’re doing great!

Maru

She may enjoy music, especially music that she might have been familiar with when she was young…church music, music that was popular when she was a teenager, classical music. Music often reaches people in ways that words cannot.

EarlInCA

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/76777/engagement-problem

My DW was a talented artist, champion golfer, and avid book reader. During the past couple of years, the painting became more and more naive, then stopped completely but she won't let me get rid of her easel. She will no longer golf with the ladies groups, but will still golf with me however she forgets where her ball is and what club to use. She now pretty much limits her reading to a few pages before she puts the book down and later tells me she has read it. All that remains is the stare and non-stop questions about when we do the next activity. It's a terrible loss and a terrible disease.