Is it odd for someone with Alzheimer's to still remember things from long ago?
My Dad was diagnosed with AD about 4 years ago. He began with hallucinations and has progressed to a point where he has very little dexterity -- needs help getting dressed, has problems with silverware, needs help going to the bathroom, etc. One day he'll know what the straw in his water bottle is, the next day he can't find it even though he's looking right at it. He has severe sundowning. My Mom told me that today, when she took him to his room to watch the news after lunch, he told her that he'd never been in that room before. Today after dinner when I was visiting, I took him back to watch the news (the only thing he watches any more) and he stopped at the threshold of the room and said "I guess they took my room away from me". When I told him it WAS his room he seemed surprised. At the same time, Dad's memory seems pretty clear about events and people from 50 years ago! He'll come up with something even my Mom hasn't thought of in years. I know that the stages of AD differ among people. Are there others out there that have loved ones with AD who can still remember the distant past with clarity but have trouble with the present?
In viewing scrapbooks with my mother I notice she relates very well to the book about her brothers and sisters and their families, especially the pictures when they were in their 20s. And she remembers more about her nieces and nephew than she seems to about her grandchildren. The strongest point in her memory now seems to be when she was a young adult and mother. She is a great-grandmother, but that part of her life is less clear to her.
It is interesting that you dad started with hallucinations. I don't think that is typical of Alzheimer's. It is typical of Lewy Body Dementia. All dementia fluctuates some, but LBD is called the roller-coaster disease because fluctuations are a hallmark of that disease. One day he knows what a straw is and can use it, the next day (or even next meal) a straw is completely foreign. Yup.
Shirley B.
When my Mom makes comments similar to your father about her room, I gently touch her arm and say "Momma, we are in your room" and then I'll point to some of her prized possessions that she has in her room as a reminder.