Hello- I have posted questions on this site before and I find the answers to be both informative and supportive....so Thanks!
Here is my next dilemma:
Mom is 77 with Dementia. Very alert and very sociable. Loves to chat. But, does not remember one thought from another within a 5 min. period. Often tells the same story over and over like it's her first time telling it.
Q: How do we react? Do we pretend that it is our first time hearing it or do we correct her and let her know that she is telling the same story for the 4th time this hour?
Next situation: Mom will call on the phone with a question or an issue. She might be stressed about something. We spend about 15 minutes on the phone assuring her all is taken care of (bill paid, home maintenance issue taken care of, etc). But, she can't seem to commit it to memory. After 15 minutes and calming her down, she will call back 20 minutes later with the same issue. No recollection of the previous phone conversations.
Q: Do we just continue to have the same phone conversation over and over throughout the day? How do we get her to commit the point to memory (we have convinced her to write it down, but sometimes she does not). Unfortunately, we have had to stop taking the call knowing that by tomorrow morning, the thought will be gone. At times, she will get angry that we are not taking her calls....even though we have talked to her 5 times already today about the same issues.
Just not sure what the proper approach is with the repeats. Thanks for any advice
