The Challenges of "Mild" Dementia

Haven't been posting much lately, this has been an odd period of waiting-to-see for me, since my mother went from the nursing home back to her house. She has "mild" dementia, and that stage of the disease (very likely Alzheimer's) has its own set of challenges. In some ways, "mild" would seem to be a really good adjective to have in front of "dementia." And of course it is a good thing; but it also is a time of changes, a time of very difficult adjustments, and a time of confusion both for patient and for caregivers.

Sometimes my mother seems completely "normal," conversing the way she always has. And, certainly, she believes that she is "normal," and is complaining more and more loudly about the presence of caregivers in her house. Yesterday, because she was doing well, we cut back from 24-hour care down to 18 hours per day of in-home care, so that she has from 3pm till 9pm on her own. And, when I called her at 6pm, she demanded that I go over to her house to "turn down the refrigerator... because it is old." Also, to turn off the TV... she could not find the "off" button on the remote. When I told her I would not drive over there to turn appliances on and off, she became very angry... and another of my old dilemmas presents itself anew. If I begin driving to her house to "turn down" the refrigerator, and operate the TV, then soon I will find myself there all the time, changing channels for her and turning her thermostat up and down... and of course I can't do that. And, also of course, my mother is and will be very angry about that.

So, from day to day, we'll see what challenges arise. And I will try to address only the ones that are right in front of me, avoiding the temptation to jump into the unknowable future and the scenarios that I fear will unfold.