I'm usually at home with my mom, but have had to go out every day since starting radiation treatment last week. My mom has Alzheimer's and vascular dementia; the last two days she seems fixated on going out, 'back' home. This afternoon and until late evening she's wanting to 1, go and lock the car, and 2, get her bag out of the car.
Someone's with her for however long I'm gone, usually not more than 1.5 hours. I wonder if the increased traffic is prompting her to go out.
Treatment is 5 days a week; I'm wondering if I should stretch it a little further. The oncologist said missing a day or two wouldn't diminish the effectiveness of the treatment. The irony being that I'd asked for an accelerated course so I'd get done sooner.
Best of luck to you with your treatment.
Thanks, things are going well.
Consistency in routine, however, will make it easier for her to adapt. So, having someone (hopefully the same person) stay with her at the same time each day, and doing the same things will help to minimize mom's anxiety or confusion.
You are probably correct that she sees you leaving and returning, so she is now fixated on leaving and returning. You can try and re-direct her attention to something else which is interesting to her. You can minimize talking about going out and when you'll be back. You might be over-explaining to her, causing her to develop an intense interest in this.
And, it's not hurting her or anyone to let her engage in this repetitive behavior. Give it some time and it will pass. She will move on to some other odd repetitive compulsion.
Onward we go...
I plan to keep visiting once per week. It just makes me feel kind of bad that I might be rocking the boat (of mom's brain).