I have noticed recently that Kathryn has started following me around the house about 40% of the time. I have not read anywhere about anyone doing this.
It appears now that she is also unable to start a conversation but once included that she does ok as long as there are no questions involved.
Shadowing is common for Alz. My husband does it to some degree, not as bas as some others on here have described. I think there was recently a whole thread on shadowing.
Lots written about shadowing/following on this site. Go to Search at top of this page (or msg boards), type shadowing in topic, enter and bingo. Also can put it in comments.
You'll find for better or worse, shadowing is common.
The loss of conversational ability is also to be expected. Jeff (my husband) rarely can initiate meaningful conversation, or really comprehend anything new I might bring up with him. (Hence, we don't converse much, sadly. Used to be the best part of our marriage.) When Jeff has lunch with a friend or sibling he doesn't see daily, it works out ok, because they can tell him about things without minding too much if he doesn't take it all in, and together they can talk about "remember whens" because that's the part that still works best. When you live with the person though, it turns out that "remember whens" are a relatively small part of what you're accustomed to talking about, and you cannot discuss plans or concerns because your partner has no retention or ability to process new ideas. Therefore, I find that our most pleasant times are when we're going somewhere, because I can say stuff like "Wow...I like that new red roof they're putting on," or "would you like to eat at Chipotle or Noodles & Co.?"
Jim, the shadowing is a security thing. She needs to know you are still there and not leaving her. You are her security blanket. The conversation thing isn't too surprising, as going along is much easier than initiating when your brain isn't working right. You keep right on coming here with your questions. There's always someone who has been down the road before you and knows. Your wife is lucky you care enough to take the time to learn.