Alee

I took care of my grandmother with Alzheimer's. First at home, and then when it was too much she was in the nursing home, but we brought her home for weekends - as long as she was able. I am no expert, but dealt with it from start to finish - and can offer my side of it. At the advanced stages, there is nothing you can do to get her to sleep. They sleep less and less as it goes. And the repetitive behavior is common too. My grandmother went through stages of her compulsion from rocking, to washing her hands about every 3 minutes, to calling and hanging up, to repetitive speech, etc. Each phase lasted a few months and then a new compulsive behavior would begin. It can be extremely aggravating, and you can't stop them from doing it. You can't rationalize with them. My grandmother would wash her hands so much that they were raw from the hot water, scrub & soap every 3 minutes. I wish I had a "cure" all, but as far as I experienced, it's part of the disease. As aggravating as it might be at times - they can't help it either. I am here if you ever want to talk about any part of it. I figure it's a tribute to my grandmother if I can help others deal with it. No one can understand it unless you've been there and done that.