Frightened, Bewildered, Apprehensive, Anxious, Angry



Don't get angry at the actions of someone that is deeply forgetful. Instead start asking yourself why are they reacting this way? How are they feeling (them, not you)?

By Bob DeMarco 
Alzheimer's Reading Room 

Bored, frightened, bewildered, apprehensive, anxious and angry. I can say that everyone of those words applied to Dotty when I first arrived in Delray Beach to care for her.

It just amazed me how easy it was for her to get out of balance. To get mean.

How simple? Consider this. Dotty would be standing there with the door wide open on the refrigerator and making a sandwich. She didn't do it the way most of us do it. We usually take all of the component parts out of the refrigerator, close the door, put every thing on the counter, then make the sandwich. 

In our home when you keep the door on our refrigerator open too long, or if the door is ajar, the refrigerator starts beeping. It has an alarm system to alert you that the door is not properly closed.

You ever hear a refrigerator beep for like five minutes? Let me tell you, after 15 seconds it will drive you nuts. You might likely overreact. I did.

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Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

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