Books, and thermostats

@HollyBerry

We dealt with both these issues.

For the thermostat, we went to a smart thermostat that he couldn't understand when the new HVAC was installed. Before that, he'd set the heat to "Emergency/85F" in July. It was hell. Other suggestions we were given was the old-fashioned Plexiglas lock-box and moving the thermostat to a different location and leaving the current one in place but disconnected.

We never did find a good solution to books. Dad loved to read pre-dementia and retained the ability to decode English well into the late stages of the disease. That said, he had no real comprehension as his short-term memory couldn't hold a thought from paragraph to paragraph. This resulted in much complaining that DH and I purposely sent him boring books as an insult. When he read new books by favorite authors he complained they'd "lost their touch". If he reread something he enjoyed previously, he'd complain it wasn't "as good as I remember". The only book I recall him enjoying was a copy of Roz Chast's Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? a friend had given me. The memoir is about having elderly parents and is told in a series cartoons. Dad identified with the author and didn't recognize himself as the challenging older parent. Oh the irony.

He continued to "read' even after he went into memory care a couple months before he died. I feel like the act was habit and a way of reminding himself of who he was. We found The Week something he could enjoy and he liked have mail addressed to him. He also would look at those locally published books with photos and histories of small towns and neighborhoods. With my aunt who lost reading fairly early on, we found coffee table (pictures of places she'd been) books a hit and also adult coloring books about topics that appealed to her— fashion and travel.

HB

Mimi S, an emeritus member, had recommended Young Adult books. The print is larger and not many pages. Seek out appropriate topics.

Iris

My wife is in Stage 5 and has not been able to read a book or follow a movie plot for a couple of years now. Surprisingly, she is able to solve wordsearch book puzzles. Occasionally she needs help but she spends several hours every day working on these puzzles. She is not very good at it and can spend an hour or more on a simple puzzle, but it holds her interest. Give it a try.

I think you can install a NEST thermostat and control it from your smartphone. About reading, DW can't anymore, but she loves doing adult coloring books with animal or mandala themes, and I keep hundreds of colored pencils sharpened for her.

you might try books by Robert Fulghum. short sweet observations & stories, large print books and always positive. Author of, Everything I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten.

I’m a librarian. The library where I work has dementia books and activities kits. Check with your local library and see if they have books or activity kits for people with dementia. Talk to the reference dept. not people at the front desk. The reference dept. is there to help find what you’re looking for. My library will also deliver the items to your home if you live in their boundaries and have someone who is home bound. Also try looking for large print books with less than 100 pages. Also try non-fiction children’s books. I would start with nature or pets. Look for books that have a photo on each page with a description under the photo.

Also ask the library if they have an employee who’s primary job is to work with home bound people. That person will be your best bet for finding books for your partner.