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I call her in AM then stop after work to make her dinner & give her other 3 pills. She worries about not finding her cats, which are inside with her. She gets upset thinking they’re lost or she gave them to someone or to me. When I call she may ask if I could please bring her cats back! I reassure her I don’t have the cats which leads to well where are they?! My question is Will it always be this way?? Or can the Dr change dosage or meds to help?? This is a first for me. Some days she’s fine then other days it’s like I described above.

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The Aunt seems to being well except with the cat thing. They both have bells on, she lives in a large home so it’s hard to close anything off. I reassure her the cats are there. Some days are worse than others. Does the weather play apart in how one would act? Like rainy cloudy days she seems worse... She keeps saying she doesn’t want a stranger in her house. But I’d ok with me since she knows me. I have a full time job so I can’t stay long during the week.
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Sadly, yes, it probably won't get better as regards the meds. Perhaps she needs and in home aide to help a few hours a day. I worked Elder Care and I think the most challenging part of that was keeping track of and dispensing meds to my clients. Many meds are to be taken on an empty stomach and then no protein or sugar could be eaten for an hour. No client ever "remembered" that. As far as the cat--well, maybe put a bell or fairly noisy collar on it so it can be heard, that might alleviate some concerns if she can hear the cat, even if she can't find it.
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My LO used to worry about her cat a lot. She was obsessed with the cat and it was difficult for her to let the cat alone. She didn't want the cat out of sight, but, the cat was stressed by all that obsession. I wonder if the cats are hiding from her. Or, it could be a delusion. I'd really consider how well she's functioning alone and if she is really able to provide proper care for pets. Once that behavior starts, it will progress. People's dementia progresses at different rates, but, I'd watch carefully. After early stage of dementia, a person really isn't able to live alone, unsupervised. Plus, the distress they feel must be scary. My LO was scared, confused and anxious, because things were happening in her mind that she could not understand or comprehend, due to the dementia. She needed comfort and someone to reassure her. That can't be done when they live alone.
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When my Mom was in independent living we started getting distressed phone calls at night when she couldn’t find her cat. We had to reassure her the cat was there. Usually it was under the bed or shut in closet. Or even in her dresser drawer. It was a small apartment so we tried to eliminate all the possible hiding places. We lowered the mattress and box spring to the floor, which helped a lot.
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Is this lady living alone? Ought she to be? If no one else is paying attention, maybe it's time for your husband to get advice from your Area Agency on how his aunt might best be supported.
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