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I've found that the progression of Alzheimer's Disease isn't linear. By that, I mean that one day Mom may be delusional or may be nonresponsive. Then next day she's "back", carrying on a conversation and appearing to be in the present (as opposed to in her delusions). So how do you determine what the progression of Alzheimer's Disease is when your loved one has this "up and down" tendency? And how do you handle your own emotional issues as a caregiver when one day your loved one knows you and the next day he or she doesn't?
Up until Christmas my mom did the same thing. She was delusional some days and seemed almost normal and in the present other days. If she was having a delusion one day I would know that things would be better in a few days. Since Christmas she is confused and delusional nearly every day. She thinks she has 2 daughters named Betty, one younger and one older. I am the only daughter. She has been in the Nursing Home 10 months. Since Christmas she thinks she went with some other people in a car and their are 2 Nursing Homes and Beauty shops and she wants to go back to her first one. She is positive I might have problems finding her new room. Of course she has been in the same room the entire time she has been there. Any suggestions on handling these kinds of situations? It is very frustrating. Thanks!!
I am not sure what to suggest, since my mom has delusions as well. However, it sounds like your mom has gone into another level of Alzheimer's which is more pronounced than where my mom is.
One of the things that has seemed to stabilize my mom is that her nursing home has gotten her into a pretty good routine. Therefore, she (kind of) knows what to expect - even if she doesn't remember any of it. We (the family) don't vary too much from the routine. For instance, we don't take her for trips outside of the nursing home at this point because we've learned that she will become more confused in the days that follow and may display a tendency to act up with others (which we really don't want to happen since that might mean she gets physical, which could get her kicked out).
One of the other things that I did do (which might work for you) is to buy a colorful "something" (in our case, it was a quilt) to place in the nursing home room. In Mom's case, it was a way for her to recognize her room. You can always use this colorful "thing" to tell your mom you can recognize her room.
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