What happened next was both mystifying and surprising. Dotty was completely and totally engaged. We started talking and she was talking right along with me.By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
I went up to see what was going and there was Dotty lying in bed looking at the newspaper.
The light on her night table was turned on. This was surprising because Dotty usually turns the light off and then reads in dim light. Even partial darkness.
Dotty rarely turns a light on. Always turns a light off.
This takes me back to last night. Dotty was trying to turn off the light in the kitchen. She does this all the time. However, she was on the wrong side of the room and she kept turning the hallway and outside light on and off. I waited to see if she could figure it out.
Finally, I went up and asked her what she was trying to do. She said turn off the kitchen light. So I showed her where the switch was and she turned it off. No reason for any discussion. Which by the way is a communication tip. No reason to get Dotty disconcerted by telling her what she is doing wrong.
Back to this morning. Dotty went back to sleep for a couple of hours. Then finally, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. As usual, Dotty was frozen right in the doorway of her bedroom. There is some kind of invisible shield that stops her right there in her tracks.
What happened next was both mystifying and surprising. Dotty was completely and totally engaged. We started talking and she was talking right along with me. She was also paying attention to the newspaper and actually read something from the paper. First time in long time.
I think those of you that have been following along are going to find this podcast surprising.
You might want to sit back and listen to the end because as usual Dotty says some of the best stuff for the end.
Listen to Dotty Wakes Up Early and Grabs the Newspaper.
Your comments and observations are welcomed in the comments section below.
If you don't see the podcast -- go here.
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Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. The blog contains more than 2,255 articles with more than 272,100 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room