Hello Healthboard friends
Yesterday when I went to check on mom she had her eyes open,looked straight at me and said "I love you darling" and gave me a big kiss. This after being almost comatose before this. She is still on the oxygen but nothing had changed until we discontinued her Seroquel. She is so much more alert and her sitter said the day before ahe was singing and keeping time with her hands and legs in the bed. I am sorry I missed that. You just never know what to expect with dementia. It was my suggestion to d/c the Seroquel and her adoctor and Hospice went along with it. Before this she was just laying there with her eyes closed and had quit eating. She is eating some better now. I am thrilled to know that she knows me and tells me she loves me. I am reading the back problem boards these days as my right hip and leg are vary painful. Had an x-ray and waiting to hear if they will do an MRI. Hope I get some relief soon or some knowledge of what the problem is.
Hugs to All
Aras
How lucky you were to have your mom alert and responsive. This moment with mom will stay with you in the times ahead when things may not be so good. My mom loved to sing also, we would quite often have my music on singing along, I would gather up some of the other people in the hospital and at the end of the hallway there we were the misfits of the hospital singing and clapping our hands and having a wonderful time. Thank you for reminding me of some happier times
Hugs Judy
__________________ Forever in my heart
The Following User Says Thank You to jagsmu For This Useful Post: aras (04-02-2012)
So glad your Mom has had some good days... and I do hope you get some relief yourself. It's much more difficult to do what we need to do when we are not 100%. I do hope things stay on the positive side with Mom...
Love, deb
The Following User Says Thank You to Gabriel For This Useful Post: aras (04-02-2012)
My mom has been gone 8 months now. Hard to believe, huh? But your post reminded me of the day I walked in and my sweet mom who hadn't said 10 words in days...saw me and gently gasped and said with excitment and love...
"There's my daughter". It is a memory that I hold dear....tuck the memory away for yourself for days and years to come. It's the unexpected gifts that will stay with us forever.
Love, Meg
The following user gives a hug of support to meg1230: aras (04-04-2012)
It appears music is a must for alzheimers. My mum can no longer understand shows on telly, though the odd one (like heartbeat which has music) she likes. Most nights Dad put on Andre Rieu (sorry if spelling wronga) and Mum is in heaven. Sits with her stuffed dog, who is her baby, and he dances the night away. She loves it. Music is the best.
I agree Pammi... music (for most) is a must with Alzheimer's. Even when they connect to nothing else they will connect with music. Pick something from their past play list, turn it up, and watch the eyes sparkle. I have heard residents that can no longer speak coherently sing verse after verse of their favorite songs.... or those that are feeble start dancing with enthusiasm.
Music had been my late FIL's best companion. He would sit there all afternoon listening to the music. Unfortunately when he was in severe stage, he seemed to have trouble with music - some music he could not understand anymore and wanted it to be very loud and also later in the few months of his life, he didn't like music unless it is a famous piece. But music is a must during the course of Alzheimer's Disease, esp. moderate stage.
Certainly it has to be soothing music and my late FIL only liked classical music. The odd part was we had to train him to like light classical music or some nice quiet music. (He was very old school.)
Certainly it has to be soothing music and my late FIL only liked classical music. The odd part was we had to train him to like light classical music or some nice quiet music. (He was very old school.)
Hugs,
Nina
You mean something like the 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th, or Rachmaninoff's Choral with those bells?
At least at the loud level of 70+ or 80+. The caregivers thought he had hearing problem. But I think he did it because he had trouble understanding. You see, he was like my husband, some people listening to the music knowing what instruments there are and what tempo there is... Like reading a book? So my late FIL was like that. It had to be real loud in front of him at home. His LCD TV was in front of him. Since there are not many traditional classical music pieces in the cable, we tried light classical music or quieter new age music... He hated rock and roll and that kind of stuff. Anyway, in the end, I don't think he really cared about it since he forgot everything actually.
My amazing mother 
Forever in my heart 
