 What Can I Say to My Mom??
My mother (80 yrs old) is in the late middle stages of Alzheimers. Her short term memory is shot. She starts to tell me something that happened and can't do it.
The problem is, she is aware that she can't remember. She doesn't understand why she can't. She calls herself "stupid". She'll say she "can't even talk any more". I try to keep it light and tell her not to talk bad about my Mom. Sometimes that makes her laugh.
More often now, she will say "I just don't understand what's wrong". I try to tell her she has an illness, sometimes I even use the term Alzheiimers, but that doesn't mean anything to her. If I say she has a brain illness she says, "but it can't be THAT bad." And goes back to saying that she is stupid.
I feel so bad for her. She KNOWS that her mind is going. I always thought that AD patients didn't really realize that they were getting worse. But they do!!!
What can I say to Mom? I am patient with her...I don't try to rush her, we have even turn it in to a guessing game...usually I can fill in her blanks. But she STILL thinks it's because SHE'S stupid. Any suggestions on the "magic words" to make her feel better would be appreciated. Or is there anything I can do????
It really breaks my heart when she goes on like this.
Thanks in advance.
SciTeach
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