Obsessions, Observations, and Broken Records

Mom has been diagnosed with dementia for a few years now. She has always been observant. She was the original "Squirrel!" person. Look! Look here! She always wants to show you something. The way the airplanes leave trails in the sky. The deer are grazing on the side of the road.

"Look! There is something caught in the tree in the backyard! Is it still there? Yep! There it is! That silver-blue thing up there. Next to the thing. By the other thing that goes up and the one that goes over to the side."

In the trees, mom? It's still there. It's been three months. An old mylar balloon. Ok, mom.

Recurring captivation

Mom was captivated by the way the Edison bulbs in the light above our dining room table reflected in the windows of our new house. She would call my kids over, usually, my son, to look.

Look at the different colors! The number of bulbs seemed to change. Of all of us, I think he is the happiest that we got curtains for that window. No more bulb reflections and long musings and inspections! And my kids were caring about deer a long time ago. They are almost as prevalent as squirrels where we are.

There is something very sweet and childlike the way my mom gets so tickled at the way the sunshine is dappled through the autumn trees and then it's gone as the sun moves behind a cloud, and it all looks blah. Beauty to blah in seconds. Then, hey! It's back again! How about that! She's like a happy goldfish! You have to stop what you're doing and come see!

Obsessions and consistent reminders

Mom also seems obsessed about locking the doors, things being left out on the counter. Who left their glass on the table? Did someone get home yet?

I don't know how many times she has commented that if we were to drop her off, she would have no idea how to get home. We keep telling her she will never have to worry about that. I think she is just saying that she doesn't know her way around - at all. She says this every time we get in the car.

Recalling dad's musings

I remember when my dad had Alzheimer's disease and used to obsess over some things. He was like a broken record when the needle would get stuck in a groove and the record would skip playing the same sounds over and over.

He would only shave under his nose. He couldn't seem to get to the rest of his face with his electric razor. Mom gets stuck recording her pills. She writes them down a certain way, whether she remembers to actually take them or not. She doesn't need to write them that way. She takes the same dose every day. She can't be dissuaded.

What's not to love?

It's a small thing to allay her fears, that it's still daytime and the doors don't need to be locked. Everyone isn't home yet. We aren't going to drop her off somewhere, like a college prank, and expect her to find her way home.

She is stuck with us! We love her and she is a valued and important part of our family. She really is adorable. We can all do with a bit more wonder! Does your loved one seem to obsess over things? What do they get stuck doing or saying? Tell us about your experience in the comments below, or share your story with the community.