Perhaps the biggest difference is my attitude. When I'm tired and feel the futility of Dad's dementia, I send out vibes that I'm angry or upset (and I am and he senses it). When I focus on what the disease is doing and how it is controlling Dad, I realize what's happening is not an intentional act on Dad's part to make our life miserable. The dementia causes him to live in a constant state of confusion. So being understanding and compassionate with Dad helps to make it a good day.
Dad has his good and bad days. Sometimes it is hard to tell which is which. On a good day you can get him to laugh and joke; on a bad day he sleeps and when he is awake he has a confused look (you can see it in his eyes).
A good day looks like this:
A bad day looks like this:
So in order to have more good days, I need to have a positive attitude regardless of how the dementia is affecting Dad.
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