Becoming educated and moving on.

Wow! I hadn't realized it had been so long since I last posted. I apologize for not keeping everyone up to date. I guess the old saying of "No news is good news" could sum up the past month. I will try to keep the news in some sort of order but I can't guarantee it!


This month has been a bit busier, Dave has been attending the Memories in the Making on Thursday mornings at the Spiva Art Gallery in town. It is a painting "class" for people with dementia/Alzheimer's. It is sponsored by the Alzheimer's Assoc., they supply all the paints and canvases. The paintings will be put up for auction and for sale to help raise funds for the association. There is a local artist that attends the class and guides the participants with their paintings. Dave is enjoying it. I am grateful for the class as he has quit painting at home. The atmosphere is very positive and there are no expectations. There is starting to be some bonding with everyone in the class and Dave said that since they are all the "same" it is very relaxing and they encourage each other in more ways than just with painting. I feel that this class is giving him more confidence and courage to try and step out again!

Dave's first painting.

 

painting #2

The association will frame the pictures before they are auctioned. Such a contrast between the two paintings, I think they are a reflection of how he is feeling.
 I prefer the second painting as it much lighter in color. 
One of the local tv stations did a story on the class, Dave opted to leave the room during the filming as he was uncomfortable with the cameras. The class will go until November and I am very anxious to see how his paintings evolve.

We have also been attending Early Stage Education & Support classes on Thursday afternoons. The first class was a general introduction explaining about dementia/Alzheimer's and how the brain works. The second class talked about effective communication with your doctor and stressed the importance of being honest with your doctor about what is going on along with some general tips. After listening to the other participants in class all I can say is how blessed we feel to have doctors that take their time explaining what is going on and actually listen to our concerns and questions. We never feel rushed and feel that the drs really care about Dave. I am also armed with my notebook that I keep Dave's medical information in from medications, blood pressure and anything that we notice that is different from the last visit. Dave did have a problem that we are not sure about. He has been experiencing some light headed/dizziness problems when rising from a sitting position, along with slight hand tremors and clammy hands. His blood pressure has been normal so we called the dr who requested we head to the ER.  So after blood work, EEG, chest x-rays, heart monitors and a UA nothing was conclusive as everything came back normal! I am not sure how long Dave had been experiencing problems as he still does not tell me right away when he is not feeling right. We were told it could be side effects of the Namenda (the medication for his dementia) or it could be from a problem with his inner ear.  They suggested an OTC medication which he tried and said he felt slight relief.  Still not sure about this problem.

Back to the classes-we still have a few more to take.  They will be discussing legal/financial matters, daily strategies/coping with changes and the last one will be about opportunities supporting research. One of the things I enjoy the most is the small groups. At the end of the class we break up into groups with caregivers making up the one group. Its nice to share with other people who are going through the same thing and have the same feelings, fears, hopes, disappointments and even some funny moments! I am very happy to also say that our care group attended one of the classes in our support and plan on attending others!  I can never say enough about how much it means to Dave and I  to have so many people who love  us, care for us and supports us!

There are still many things Dave and I need to face but I hope that the more we educate ourselves the less scary some of these things will become.  I am slowly learning to accept the "new" Dave and try to focus more on what he can still do and try to get him to not "sweat the small stuff".   Last weekend my sister and niece came into town and we sat around the table talking and laughing. In the past Dave would be sitting around the table talking and laughing along with us but now he sits on the couch and listens. I know that he has a hard time keeping up with the conversations and he has said numerous times that he can't always find the words to say.  He told me later that he enjoyed listening to us talk and seeing us laugh and watching my sister come and go out of the kitchen making herself at home.  So this is the "new" Dave, the one who can't find the words to participate but can still get enjoyment from watching and listening.  

It still makes me a little sad to not have the Dave that talks and jokes with his quick wit but I can accept that he still gets enjoyment from listening and watching and he can still sometimes find that wit, its just a little slower now.  We have given up on participating in a lot of activities, even family functions, but my hope is that we can find a way to control the anxiety Dave experiences when in a large group setting in environments that he is not familiar with (and even in settings he is familiar with), so we can together attend gatherings. (Dave is okay going places if he does not have to converse with others so he still attends Gabriella's concerts and other school programs.)

Induction to National Honor Society

How proud we are!

  

Strolling Strings,Gabriella is the 4th Violinist.
All school orchestra concert held early Saturday morning.

Dave continues to have memory lapses, he states that its like turning a light off and on, that is how quickly he can forget then remember again.  The one thing that we have been told over and over again in the classes is to try and overcome denial of the disease.  The longer that we or others stay in the denial stage the longer and harder it will be to move on.  At the same time, we (meaning me) need to allow him to continue to do the activities he is capable of doing so the disease does not take him away too soon. 

Monica