The Inconsistency of Alzheimer’s

Like most people, I assumed Alzheimer’s disease was mainly something that caused people to slowly lose their memory. Not only is it so much more than that, there seems to be no consistent way it affects people. My point is, just when you think you’ve figured it all out, you realize you have it all wrong. So get used to it. 

Inconsistent memory issues

Sometimes my mom can’t remember what I told her 5 minutes ago, but other times she can remember everything. She also has an uncanny ability to remember details from a long time ago – even her childhood. And, up until this point, she still remembers names and faces but she struggles to find her words to say people’s names. 

Some days, my mom will be able to make herself a cup of coffee, cook some eggs, and watch the TV all on her own. On other days, she completely forgets how to use the coffee maker, burns her eggs, and can’t figure out how to use the TV remote. 

Inconsistent behavior issues

Sometimes my mom can’t complete a single task, other times she can be organized and get lots of things done. On a bad day, she can spend several days “organizing” the drawers in her kitchen because she gets easily distracted and forgets where she left off so the task becomes an endless loop. On a good day, she’s multi-tasking between laundry, ironing, vacuuming, and getting a lot of things done.

Other times, she does odd things like load the sink with garbage when the garbage compactor is right behind her. Or, she’ll spend days “sorting” through piles of junk mail because she forgets what she looked at and what she hasn’t looked at.