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Sundowning is torture

My DW is suffering from FTD and is likely past the halfway mark of progression, as if that means anything. Most, but not all mornings she is cooperative with our caretakers and accepts her morning shower and getting up, dressed, and moved into our living area. The afternoon and evenings present the rough spot in her day. That is when we never now whether she will be Dr. Frankenstein or his monster. She spent her life living as a very considerate and generous person who cared deeply about others. But some days she is impossible to handle and curses at the caretakers and refuses to do the things she needs to do for her own good, like getting ready for bed, eating her dinner, getting outside for some sun, or just getting off the sofa for a tiny bit of exercise.

She is paying the price for her lack of cooperation by getting recurring UTI's due to poor hygiene and lack of movement while wearing adult diapers. The UTI's cause her to behave irrationally and the cycle just compounds itself. The caretakers tell me this is seen often in dementia patients. What a sad state of affairs.

Comments

  • Ed's mom
    Ed's mom Member Posts: 101
    100 Likes 100 Care Reactions 25 Insightfuls Reactions 10 Comments
    Member

    I'm so sorry mwoolley, we're still at the beginning when things are really unpredictable, sorry to hear that it continues. I send you peace friend.

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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