My mom is sleeping more, not cooperating, and being aggressive. How do I handle this?
Mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimers about 2 years ago and since then she has lived with my husband and I. She is 88 years old and currently has Medicare and Medicaid coverages. She has always been a small eater and has been hardly eating solids for a while, she drinks coffee in the morning, and drinking glasses of Ovaltine with whole milk, supplemented with the powdered form of Ensure. She would have that at least 6 times a day. Doctors are all aware of this. Lately she has been refusing to even drink that any more and only wanting to sleep almost all day and night and refuses to change clothes, bath, brush her teeth, etc. I have brought this up to doctor and he says it is part of her disease. When I insist on her getting up, for example to go to the doctors she comes argumentative and yesterday at the doctor's office she actually slapped me just for passing her a tissue. Not sure how to handle this anymore, any suggestions?
As for the sleeping, it is very common for those of us who are getting older to start sleeping more, memory problems or not. We may get our 6 to 8 hours at night, but then there will be naps while watching TV. It's all part of aging. I hate it when I miss the last 10 minutes of a really good mystery, I miss who done it.
As for eating, as one ages they can lose their sense of taste, thus only items that are sweet one can still taste, such as your Mom with the Ovaltine.
Changing clothes, you can't believe how tiring that can be for someone older. If my Dad didn't have an Aide helping him into his pj's, he would probably sleep with his day clothes... much easier.... next day roll out of bed already dressed [but a bit wrinkled].