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My father, runs in a definite cycles. He's 90 and has early to mid stage Alzheimer's.

Mondays: docile, calm, naps all day.
Tuesdays: Up, showered, fixes his own sandwich, takes a walk down our street.
Wednesdays: Very energetic. Cooks for us. Takes several walks, talks to neighbors. Comprehends a bit better. To bed early.
Thursdays: More down. Depressed. Comprehension wanes. Stays in pajamas.
Fridays: Agitated, irritable. Incoherent. No comprehension. Worries about money, etc.
Saturday: Fidgety. Up early. To bed late. Calls us out of our sleep several times. Paranoid. Depressed.
Sunday: Up very early. Wakes us up. Unbearable, anxious, mad. By 10 am, back to bed. Long nap. Lethargic.

And then the cycle starts all over again.

I've tracked diet. I've track weather. And have wracked my brain and just cannot figure this out. Wish I could.

Anybody else have a similar situation?

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Wonderful ideas, Jeanne. I especially like the idea of resigning certain days to pajama days and trying things like movie days. It can give something to look forward to.
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Good observations, CarolAnn! I wouldn't be surprised if there were more patterns that we just don't noice. I tend to think blannie and Jessie are on the right track. These ups and downs seem to be related to your dad's activity level. After heavy-activity days he crashes or at least needs more rest.

I think this was true for my husband as well. He loved bowling on Wednesday mornings. I wouldn't have stopped him for anything. But he was more "out of it" the rest of that day. In the summer he golfed (with a league for persons with handicaps) on Fridays. Especially if it was a hot day he was absolutely rung out for the rest of the day. He typically slept in his recliner. I pushed liquids and encouraged rest.

As in many aspects of caring for someone with dementia, we have to deal in tradeoffs. If you could, would you make his days more level, even if it meant losing out on the pleasure of the active days? Or are the active days worth the "down" times the rest of the week?

Seeing the cycle laid out so clearly, I wonder if some of his Wednesday energy expenditure could be spread out a little, between Wed and Thur? But that might not be feasible.

Maybe Thursday just has to be Pajama Day, which you make official and embrace. Breakfast is an easy-to-eat sandwich served in bed, and there is a nice bowl of soup for whenever he wants to get up.

Would some easy activity on Friday break the downward spiral? Maybe Friday could be Movie Day, with popcorn and maybe inviting someone over to watch a favorite with him. Does he like beer? Or a root beer float?

I'd say at 90 and with dementia this doesn't look too terrible. It would be great to tweak it a little, and to avoid the Sunday agitation. Perhaps if you went over this schedule with his doctor he or she might have some suggestions.

Otherwise, embrace the good days, minimize the discomfort of the bad days, and keep lovin' the old guy.
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My mother also has certain patterns. She enjoys going to church and out to eat on Sunday, so her mood is elevated. Mondays are the absolute worst. She tends to be in a miserable to okay mood most days. If she gets dressed to do something and we go out to eat, it gives her mood a boost and she gets energetic the rest of the day. She'll go for a walk or talk to neighbors. Then the next day she crashes. I don't know why a good day is always followed by a really bad one.
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It sounds more like it's a function of doing more on a couple of days and then needing recovery days after that. I find if I take my mom out for lunch, she's much more tired the next day and doesn't want to do anything. It sounds like your dad is very active on some days and then cycles down (mentally and physically) because of the activity. That's all I got.
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I'm wondering about side effects of medicines, or does he take the same meds daily?

I don't have any real insights so I'm be looking for other suggestions from posters. This is interesting, and I'm sure, frustrating.
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