_ -» alling her children by the tetgetting Where YOU PUt thing$·
Wrong names was s0nie_ Forgetting where you put yourself was
"\_ thing She had been doing another matter entirely and she didn’t
_ ini years, gn why were they know what to do about it. One thing
all making such a fuss about it now? tOt Sure, She Wiisnit gOing YO [eil the
4 J After all, with five children who could eiiiieiten· TiieY WOUi‘i UntiOUi?tetiiY Staff
e' ` keep up, and not to mention all of the with the HW/nat are we gOing tO do
` grandchildren. with Mother" routine and tty to make
-   , , She had begun to dread holidays her give UP het nOU$e and m0V€ i¤
  ·_‘‘ it   because all of them would come to her with them Oi» maybe, even PUF het in
, ii   i house and it was difficult for her to One Oi tnO$e nUF$ing hOm€$·
i .~;_i<;$I·. ¤··~: remember who was married to whom So, when after Christmas dinner, she
— and to whom each child belonged had walked downstairs and saw a room
to help them locate needed services — and why they were even all there. full of strange people talking and
and agencies; and to promote advocacy And then there was all that clamor waving to her to join them, she simply
in the form of educating the public and about her burning up the coffee pot. smiled and sat down. No one
legislative bodies about the disease in With all the people there and all of the noticed. She had made it through
hopes of garnering monetary and confusion, who could remember another visit.
service-related support. As a part of its everything they had on the stove? But Several months later though, a man
services, the group provides a they scolded her — as though she were and woman came to her door —
newsletter to families of Alzheimer's a five-year-old. They made remarks claiming they were her son, Roger, and
victims. about her not being able to continue his wife. When they finally convinced
The Center`s Memory Disorder living alone. What nonsense! After all her to let them in, they kept going
Clinic was also begun after a she had lived alone since her husband from room to room talking about the
suggestion from the group. The clinic, died. One of the children mentioned dust and dirty dishes and they even
sponsored in conjunction with the UK he had been dead now almost three said she looked untidy — a dirty
Department of Neurology, provides years — she thought it had been nearly housedress and hair that had not been
extensive evaluations of patients ten. But she hid her confusion; she was brushed for days.
suffering from memory loss. getting to be good at that. After a while, she realized the man
Still another outgrowth of the group And then there was the misplaced was her son, but who was the woman?
was the formation of a day-care center purse. She hadn't wanted to go to the She didn't like the way she kept
one afternoon a week for Alzheimers grocery with her daughters but they looking at her and going from room to
patients. The facility is managed by insisted. And they weren’t content until room. She warned Roger that the
Bell and staffed by trained volunteers, she took her purse, but she couldn't woman might be trying to steal
many of whom have had Alzheimer remember where it was. Oh, it was something but he kept saying she was
patients in their families. "This service around somewhere but she just couldn't his wife.
is provided to give the caretaker time recall exactly where or when she had Not long after, her children told her
to clean house, run errands, or last seen it. One of the girls finally she had to leave her home and go to
whatever," said Wekstein. "Any benefit located it but then they started all over live with her son. She hadn't wanted to
to the patient is secondary." Families again about her forgetfulness until she go but it all happened so quickly. One
provide patient transportation to and angrily reminded them that she was a minute they were packing her suitcase
from the day-care facility. Attendance sixty—year old woman and entitled to and the next she was here, in this
is limited to those Alzheimer's patients forget a few things. strange house.
who are not bedridden, incontinent, or What she didn't tell them was that No one looked familiar, except for
do not need to be medicated during the she had been misplacing items Roger. She hated it when they started
afternoon session. regularly for about two years. But it trying to make her eat this or wear
The support group has recently really didn`t bother her much anymore. that. Why didn`t they leave her alone?
applied for national membership and Oh, it made her feel stupid and mad at She was being held against her will —
has incorporated, relieving UK of the herself when it first started happening, if only she could escape. Why wouldn't
organizational responsibilities. The but she had learned to live with it. In her son help?
group also is in the process of electing fact, she didn`t even think about it  
a board and officers to direct its until. they came and made her feel old Tdw"] Alger if d www with the UK
activities. and incompetent. , . . .
  But what Scared her was that HOW {Swear:/J immdatzmz and ztt magazine,
More information about the support she often forgot where she was, as well Odimcy
group or the day care facility is as what she was doing there. Suddenly
available from: she would look around and couldn't
Sanders-Brown Research Center remember what room she was in or
University of Kentucky (02301) whose house. She wasn`t so sure that
Lexington, KY 40506 (606) 233-6049 was an accepted sign of aging — like
UK 9