Perhaps we are at fault. We don’t understand this person living with us who has developed an intermittent butterfly brain which along with an inherent stubbornness makes life for us very hard at times. Just explaining the simplest of facts becomes a minefield that can often end up with a screwed up face and a refusal to grasp even the simplest of situations. I have no doubt that this is a universal problem with the elderly who revert to childish behaviour at the first sign of anything they don’t want to understand. Listening has definitely become a problem and any explanations are talked over so no understanding can be reached or we just don’t listen and look blank. I have discovered that the best defence for me is in silence initially then to change the subject to a more comfortable one.
Today has been a particularly trying one with us being told among other things how to deal with our dogs! We have also been accused of not giving her information, information that was patiently given to her the day before. Maybe the wind is bothering her or could it be the approaching storm. It is particularly frustrating when on phone calls to others mother is coherent and bright; conversations are punctuated with my daughter and son-in-law are lovely, followed by a pause and then ‘really’ which rather begs the question. I think I have already said in a previous blog that short term everything is hunky-dory but the real long term situation is very different. My poor long suffering husband seldom is thanked for his efforts even though every morning he runs the gamut of the hairnet to take her a cup of tea!
Shrinking Horizons 