Before I became a lecturer in literature and writing, I worked as a nurse in nursing homes and I used to be disturbed by the amount of sedation given to people with dementia. Now I understand much more clearly why.
This evening the nursing lodge staff rang me so that I could speak to Anthony and he was, once again, agitated, confused and mumbling conspiracy theories about what ‘they’ were doing to him. Again, he didn’t know where he was so I tried to reassure him, spoke to the evening nurse (I now call her ’24/7′) who was by his side, then to him again, then got off the phone stunned at the rapidity of his descent into dementia.
Earlier in the day I had rung the morning nurse to discuss the evening confusion problem and she said they were going to get a urine sample because Anthony might have a urinary tract infection. I had wondered this myself as I already knew that these kinds of infections can send someone who already has a brain disease into crazyland.
But tonight, after the jumbled conversation with Ants, I waited until I had calmed down a bit, then I rang ’24/7′ back to have a private chat and she told me the urine test came back clear.
This means that Anthony does not have a urinary tract infection.
This means that we are now facing what I already knew was coming (but Anthony didn’t), the dementia of Stage 5 Parkinson’s Disease. It has been lurking there for some time but now its jaws are wide, its fangs are sharp and it is out to get him.
’24/7′ told me he had refused his dinner, had become belligerent and was difficult to calm down.
We need sedation.
jmgoyder 