My mother is at what is considered the moderate stage of Alzheimer and this stage you can see more and more changes in how a patient views the world are them. Delusions, hallucinations, confusion and disorientation are some of the key signs of this stage. Like this evening we were watching Mythbusters and when it was over she wanted to know what myth we were busting next. Had to explain we do not shot or blow things up here. LOL Quite often she will mix up what she sees on TV with real life, but luckily most of the time with gentle words i can bring her back to reality. It is so hard to watch the confusion and difficulty she has with understanding what is going on around her.
Here is a good document that explains what you would see when you or your loved one gets to this stage – Progression – Middle Stage – Alzheimer – I highly recommend reading it if you have anyone around you in or heading to this stage.
When I was looking at my photos for this post, I looked at the ones below and realized they were such a great visual to explain how things are for mom. Things are familiar – you can trees, flowers etc. but everything is distorted or upside down. I love using my sphere for creative photos which can also help understand what others are seeing.
My favourite shot of these is the one stuck in the tree and this was an idea of Mom’s as we were walking along a local trail before her Alzhiemers got as bad as now. Did she have an idea of what she would face one day or was she just wonderfully creative. I believe the second as this one not the first or last time she suggested a certain angle or item to shot – she has definitely inspired me to be creative and look at things differently when out with my camera. These photos will always be a memory of her even when she is not in the photo.