My DH has always been a voracious reader but I've noticed lately he spends very little time with his periodicals. He hasn't bought a new book for a couple of months. I also noticed he only looks at the comics in the newspaper. He naps a lot during the day and spends an exorbitant amount of time watching television.
He wants me to read to him. Right now I'm reading "Into the Wild" by Jon Krackour. When I ask him questions about the text, he ignores the questions. It seems as if he can read but I'm not sure he can still comprehend what he's reading.
Do your DHs and DWs still read? Hope I asked the question correctly or not.
My husband always enjoyed reading the morning paper with his coffee- up until about 5-6 month's ago. Now cannot read or write anything, cannot even sign his name, only tries to scribble his name. Even that little pleasure has been stolen by this disease.
While my husband was still functional he could still do puzzles in the paper but wasn't interested in current events. He stopped being able to process new information. I still hate doing the puzzles without him.
The house is full of books. He used to read every day, study mathematics he said, but also the New Yorker cartoons and sometimes articles, etc. No more. It's so hard to see him just SIT, though it doesn't bother HIM. Occasionally a movie. He used to love opera so I'm getting some from NetFlix. Bad weather today: I'll try Tales of Hoffman which was at least one of MY favorite movies!
My husband reads much less than he used to. I asked our daughter not to renew her usual gift of a Time magazine subscription. Time stopped coming about a month ago and he hasn't noticed. We have several months' worth of issues in a stack by his recliner. He would start, carefully mark his place with a paperclip, but then not pick up the magazine again. We also have stacks of Reader's Digest that are unread. He carefully reads mail that I would just scan and toss - and then insist that I also read it! He also likes to read out loud and we have read a few books to each other that way. He won't do puzzles or mental games so I figure reading out loud is at least another mental exercise.
Yes, my DH read less and less, though he had been a voracious reader. He subscribed to the Nation, but read that less in less. He had a four page instruction booklet for his electric razor which he read over and over, or he just looked at the address label on his magazines. One of my fond memories is reading to him. I tried to read an hour each day, but I never asked him questions, since I knew he wasn't remembering, but appreciated good verbage. The poem beenthere posted is so beautiful - ..."do not ask me to remember..."let me rest and know you're with me"...
My husband can still read. His extended mini-mental (50 points) is down to 11, but a couple of the questions the doctor asked involved reading. He could read, but not follow the directions on what he read. He has all the stage 5 symptoms and a few of the verbal/cognitive stage 6 symptoms.
We still buy multiple newspapers every day. I'm not at all sure he can understand what he is reading in those newspapers. We buy them because it is the only small pleasure he has in life and I know it is not going to last much longer.
We get him several magazines. At this point I know that he is at least looking at all of them. They aren't due for renewal for a while, but I doubt if any of them are getting renewed. I keep getting offers, but ...
He is not following the election at all. He keeps wondering why "that woman" is on TV all the time, and has no clue that she is running for VP or when the election will be over although I've explained it to him. The primaries drove him (and to a lesser extent me) crazy.
Bob stopped reading somewhere in stage 5-6. He's in stage 6-7. He would pick up Natl Geog and loo at it upside down, even turning a page now & then. He sits/sleeps most of day. I was leaving TV on but realized he wasn't really watching, so I put on the music channels (we have DirecTV) and he seems to like that, even tapping his foot now and then. He also would open junk mail I put aside, stare at it, then put in his spot he had for his "papers" . After a day or two I would remove some, but not all, of the "papers" and he never noticed. That has all stopped. He never picks up reading material.
We get the daily local paper which my husband loves to read to keep up on what's going on outside our world. But he has told me recently he has to read some articles more than once because he can't remember what he just read. He said it scares him because than he knows he really has this disease.
My husband always read the newspaper but he hasn't for over a long time. He just can't comprehend what he has read. Now he doesn't even bother. He can still sign his name but nothing else. I always had him sign his kids birthday cards but he can't do that anymore.
My husband loved books and magaines. He was a true jack of all trades and if he didn't know to do something he would get books on the subject or study manuals till he could do the job. He gave all that up and started reading books in his first language. Now he says he can't retain anything he reads so what's the point. He does enjoy TV and will watch his favourite sports. He will sit through currrent affairs programs with me but has a tendency to nod off. With upcoming elections in both Canada and the US there is so much political stuff to watch. He really tries to follow the debates but I wonder how much he would be able to recount. We don't have much discussion afterwards as he would feel badly if he couldn't remember even the main players. Another thing I noticed is that he would rather watch TV now then listening to his favourite CDs. He says it's because he can't figure out the CD player which is true. He is very much aware of losing all these abilities. It's so awful to watch.
I don't think my WW has been able to read for the past 12-18 months. Whenever she picks up a book, she always has it turned to page 1. I still let her buy books simply because I don't want to make her feel bad.
She can barely sign her name - we signed off on the POA papers about a month ago. It took about 3-5 minutes per signature. Which reminds me - for those of you with a spouse in the early stages, take the time NOW to have all the necessary legal papers completed - POA, wills, medical directives etc. - you can't predict the future - theirs or yours.
Ditto. My DW was always a voracious reader and therefore very knowledgable about the world, politics, etc etc. She always read much more than watch TV. I still try to get her to read but her attention span and comprehension level prevent her from getting further than 1 page. I have noted several times that after more than an hour she is still on the same page. Very much not like her in the good old days. Several years ago I started putting crossword puzzles and the like out for her in the mornings before I left for work. Looking at how she did on them was enough to make me cry. So now, its just TV. I Love Lucy all day. She used to have beautiful handwriting. Now her signed name is virtually illegible. Thenneck
My husband used to read the paper from front to back page . . . he devoured it. About a year ago, I realized he wasn't reading the paper when I came downstairs and the paper was upside down. He reads some of it now but not very often. He is primarily glued to CNN all day long. I think it is because they are short news snippits and they repeat over and over again.
He doesn't write in cursive anymore. Everything is now printed and you can tell it is very shakey. When he has to sign something, he asks me how to sign it. At first I thought it was whether to print or write. Now I realize it is about does he use his middle initial or not.
The last time Bob shakingly signed his name, I had to tell him how to spell it. Good advice Iggy! All our PAO's wills, etc. were signed prior to his "official" DX.
My DW not only was a voracious reader, but also had a photographic memory so could quote back almost anything she had read. When we moved into the retirement home she looked at the library and claimed that she would spend most of her time there. She still thinks she likes to read, but she rarely, if ever, picks up a book. Like thenneck's DW, if she has a book she stays on page 1 most of the time, then puts it down. She also used to do crossword puzzles every day, but now has no interest in them. As others have noted, she just sits in her chair, mostly dozing, or watching whatever I am doing. Sometimes I will give her a magazine, which she will look at for a short while, then put it aside and go back to dozing. She can still sign her name, but it is getting a bit shaky. She only watches TV when I do. Last night she stayed up for the debate and discussion afterward, but doesn't remember any of it.
I've read many of your posts - I think our wives are at about the same age and stage (WW is 57 and stage 5+). My wife also loves sitcoms, especially I Love Lucy. She also had beautiful handwriting. Thinking of you and your family.
G still reads, but I doubt he comprehends much. His favorite author is Patrick Robinson, and he reads his books over and over..something to do for now at least. He also does jigsaw puzles on the computer, and that can take quite a lot of time. He has always hated politics, so TV and the newspaper are ignored for now. He really dislikes TV except for a few things like NCIS or Grey's Anatomy which I get from Netflix(bless that company). He can get really angry if I don't mute the sound thru commercials....lessons learned.
Ditto. I think my DH is about at the same place as Inge. He has not been able to read books for more than a year and he loves to read. It is too frustrating for him. If it is a novel, he can't remember the plot or characters. Movies with semi-complex plots are the same situation. He likes to watch old movies that he has already seen. He still reads some magazines and the local paper. I feel very bad for him that he is at home all day and he can't even read a book. Plus doing hobbies are the same way. He loses track of what he is doing. He says some days he spends most of his time trying to figure out where he has put things and what he was trying to do next. He is still very aware of his loss of function.
My DH reads, but does not remember anything he has read. He used to do puzzles and suduku. but has stopped doing them. He no longer reads his technical journals or Newsweek or Money. He likes the AARP magaznine and Reader's Digest, but I doubt he remembers. He will watch anything on TV even CSpan. He has problems wih the remote and tends to watch whichever station is on, without discrimination. He does read all the mail, especially the junk and then asks me to read it. I try to be there when he gets the mail so i can be sure to check it. Maryd
My husband used to read every detail of news stories and could refer to that later in conversations. I'm more of a skimmer when it comes to newspapers. Now, he only glances at the newspaper and seems to have zero comprehension. He's late in stage 5.
Years ago, he complained that he got drowsy no matter what time of day he read the Bible. I suggested that he read it out loud to keep himself awake. I sure wish I had never said that! He has been reading the Bible and other materials over and over and out loud for hours at a time. Sure, it gives him something to do, but it's just so monotonous.
My husband, although very educated, has never cared for reading -- he's a person who learns by watching and listening. The exception was that he always preferred reading that "ticker tape" at the bottom of the TV screen during newscasts, rather than listening to the announcer and watching the picture.
He used to read some sections of the newspaper (business, sports, comics). Now, he will sometimes spend a few minutes with the front page of the paper, but rarely glances at the comics and never at the sports pages.
I would think he's having trouble reading, were it not for the fact he still reads the ticker tape -- I know he's reading it, because he'll comment on it. (That's also how I know his cataracts aren't bothering him all that much.) If I'm in a different room, he'll come find me to tell me about something interesting he just saw on the ticker tape. Sometimes it isn't easy to figure out what he's talking about, but when I do, sure enough, it was in the ticker tape info.
He brings the newspaper inside each morning, even though the only thing he seems to use it for now is to remember what day it is. (He carefully compares the date on the paper with the calendar, and marks today's date.) Yesterday, however, he brought it to me right away, to point out the headlines about WaMu. He can't remember his own account is with WaMu, he just knew I was concerned about the bank for some reason.
I try to be here when the mail comes, too, but that's not always possible. My husband treats junk mail as something very serious and hides it throughout the house - - unless I throw it out before he sees it.
Because I'm home the mail issue isn't all that bad. We open it together. He likes to open the envelopes, but he gives them to me. Sometimes he pulls the contents out, and sometimes just opens them up.
Sometimes I can get to the mailbox before him. Pretty soon he won't be able to unlock it and that will take care of that. At one point I was worried over losing a bill, but it never actually happened.
If I was still working and I thought it was a real problem I'd either go to online bill pay or get a PO box and move all the bills and important mail to the PO box, or both.
My Dad and my DH both have AD. Dad is in a facility, more advanced than DH. Dad stopped reading books and newspapers a few years ago. But he reads all billboards, street signs, etc. when we are in the car.
My DH was an avid sports section reader. The sky would be falling if he didn't have his daily newspaper. Nowadays, just like my Dad, he reads signs on businesses, freeway signs, etc. But give him a sports section and he's kind of irradic. Can't follow an article start to finish. But he does enjoy the headlines and pictures. I notice sometimes he "creates" his own details after reading a caption or headline.
Small print, and detailed articles are too overstimulating for the brain. All the words seem to collide, and often so does any meaning they get from them.
Re: the mail, I don't have an ounce of tolerance when DH gets his hands on it. I pick it up at the post office, dump the junk, and try to keep it out of his view. But those occasions when he gets into my stuff makes me go crazy. He questions everything with total nonsense, can't understand anything I attempt to explain, gets into envelopes and groups multiple bills into one return envelope, or tosses envelopes, etc.
Uggggh! I gotta stop. The mail issue makes me go totally IIIIINNNNNSSSSSAAANNNNEEEEE!!!!!!!!
New Realm--And here I thought I was the only one with the mail problem. There's no rhyme or reason to what gets pitched. I diligently try to get ahold of the mail first and take out all the bills and personal stuff. then he goes through those throw-away coupons for oil changes and lube jobs (we have no car any more). and that kind of stuff.
There is a discussion dealing with the mail issue and has several solutions on it. One is to get a post office box, one is to get a locked mail box, one is to get the mail together and give him/her the junk mail, one is to have the mail sent to where you work (if you work). There may be others - it's been a while.
My husband's favorite pasttime was reading. He always had a book with him. He got to where he chose to reread books. It took me a while to realize that he had lost comprehension, and was reading what he already knew because he couldn't understand the new stories. He has since stopped pretending. He doesn't like to watch regular TV, but will watch his movies on DVD a lot. Now he only reads the comics and looks at the sports page while we have our morning coffee. He used to read every word in the paper.
DH's lifeolong devoted career depended on him being an excellent reader and researcher. both are lost now. i thought he couldnt read at all anymore but was surprised that he will continue to read out loud the huge signs when out driving, i am more relating his loss of reading abilities to loss of eyesight instead. he wore contacts for 40yrs, then we couldnt get him to leave them in so hes been without even glasses which he wont use for several yrs now. he flips thru books and mags makes an attempt to read but has no recall whats read. sad, he enjoyed reading all day and doing puzzles every single day. divvi
divvi, Is he nearsighted? I am very nearsighted and wore glasses, contacts for over 60 years. I found early on I could read books, papers, etc just fine without glasses. I've known many other similarly afflicted did the same thing. My sister for one, she wore contacts most of her adult life, but, shes a retired nurse and when she was working, reading temps etc., she wore her glasses so she could take them off and read the very fine print of whatever. He may have been able to read even without the contacts until AD took over more and more. Lets hope so..
Just thought of something. Bob hasn't even picked up a paper for months. He has prescription glasses that I will be donating to the local Lions Club. I've been turning in old specs for years and it is a good cause. I like to think my old specs helped some poor soul in a 3rd world country. Or even in the U.S.A.
My husband can read if the words are large, however, if it is more than a 5 word sentence he loses track. He does not comprehend what he has read. He can read "Close your eyes" but will not do it. In the past he read Golf magazines from cover to cover. Watched every golf tournament, basketball, football or any other sporting event. He has no interest now. Now he spends most of his days in the garage taking the golf clubs out of the bag & putting them back in. Sometimes he gets upset, if he comes in the house & goes back out, he thinks someone has messed with his clubs.
He cannot write his name, signed with an X as his mark when we had the POA done. He also had beautiful handwriting, was a lefty.
Andrea was such an avid reader. Read everything. I finally realized why she wasn't reading...by the time she got to the end of the paragraph, she'd forgotten what it was about. Then couldn't remember what the beginning of the sentence said by the time she got to the end of the sentence. She could still read...it just didn't make any sense.
And for all those researchers and such that say, "Do crossword puzzles to stave off AD", what a joke. Andrea did millions of crossword puzzles. When she started filling in words that made no sense, and squashing two letters into each square, I wondered what the heck was going on!!!
Surprise.
Her last known signature was an "A" followed by a wavy line going off down the page. The worst part was that even she knew it was wrong. But she didn't know why.
Today we filled out the form to get an absentee ballot. I knew I could get a replacement from the web so I let him fill out out, with me prompting. He did ok with his name, even printing it when he was supposed to. Street address ok. Town... misspelled. Phone ok. Then deciding why he needed an absentee ballot. This required reading half a dozen different possibilites. He gave up quickly.
We then went in to watch an old movie that had been a favorite of mine - and his - the Tales of Hoffman. He read that Robert Helpmann was in it, and was delighted; he remembered him. And watched the whole movie (over 2 hours) through, with a break in the middle. At the end he saw the conductor and said, happily, BEECHAM! Which it was, Sir Thomas Beecham. But the name wasn't there, he recognized him!! NOw there had been a point, in the late 50s, when Sir Thomas was a resident conductor for a couple of years when were attending the Houston Symphony. SO we HAD seen him, etc. But to remember that, and then to go upstairs, mess his pants, and change into pajamas which he managed to get on himself, completely backward, was so jarring and sad.
Lee, yes hes nearsighted and can read some things up close better even now many yrs without contacts or glasses. plus i think hes developing macular degeneration issues as per last eye test many yrs ago. we have to do the best we can with what we have. divvi
no i havent taken him back for a some time to eye dr as last time, he couldnt tell the dr if he could see better or not -may take just to have a checkup soon. divvi
divvi, there is an automatic system for doing refractions. They use it on little kids who can't answer the questions. It isn't as good as the system they use on older kids and adults, but it is better than nothing. I've gone to doctors that started with the automatics and then fine tuned with questions. Ask if they have that system or if they know an eye doctor who will work with a patient who has dementia.
thanks, yall, for the input. i guess the problem in my DH case is we had glasses made for him upfront when we knew the contacts wouldnt be of usage. he wont leave the glasses on long enough to see if they work or not. the only few times i got him to try them for a minute he was unable to accustom to the lenses much to my dismay. he would lift his foot as if stepping over something. we decided the risk of falling was there if he used them so since he doesnt use anything. he seems to see ok if close to read and can read large signs so that will be my gage on how he progresses:) the eyes, ears, nose, bladder, just about everything is affected by this disease...sigh...divvi
divvi, how is he on colors? Is that why he is rearranging cushions? Putting different color combos together? Or is he just playing a game with you?
I think you are correct about the moon.
We (D,GS, & I) bought two 12 packs of Cokes and had them on the edge of the counter, meaning to set them on the back porch until needed. While we were putting away the groceries, my husband opened BOTH cartons and set all 24 cans on the counter, lined up in 4 rows, neat as a pin! Of course he tore up the cartons into flat pieces to better fit in the trash can, and therefore no longer usable. Now, we have to figure out how to store the ones that aren't going in the fridge as yet! <grin>
now I think if my husband's eyes were deteriorating I WOULD get THEM fixed. The only thing I can think of worse than a husband with dementia is a BLIND husband with dementia!
Lynn still loves his newspaper. He isn't able to follow anything obviously. He does still have the ability to read the written word, he just can't make sense of it any more. But, it is one routine he still finds pleasure in. So I do still get him his paper, though I will admit I am a frugal person, so where he has no idea what day it is, has no memory of what he read 2 seconds ago say nothing about yesterday... I just buy one paper a week and give him it every day. how bad am I LOL
I used to have to get DH a paper every day. Same thing. I can get him one paper now and it could take him all week to realize (if he does at all) that its the same paper.
briegull, I had two cataract operations last year. I supposed my husband could manage the eye drops. He did them for me for close to 6 weeks. I could do them for him.
But could he NOT touch his eyes? Could he leave the eye patch over the eye every night for a week? Could he cooperate during the operation? Would he get frightened and freak while it was going on?
If the answers are all positive, then this is one of those operations you can get done. But if not?
We get the NY Times and my husband used to read it daily. I still like to read it and I leave it for him to read but he seldom does. Nor his professional journals that he doted upon. Sad.
Yes he has stopped completely however, he looks for the comic section every Sunday. He looks at it and grins. If it is not in the paper he wants to call the newspaper office and rant, so I just give him an old one.