Kadee and Imohr, my husband has always chosen to eat one thing at a time, and he keeps them from touching each other on his plate as well. This was not something that started after AD. He has done this since he was a child.
He also can open a cabinet and look right at something and not see it --- and again, he's always been that way! Nor can he find anything on the counter right in front of him! The family has never asked him to find something for them! <grin>
I don't think either of these would be considered AD symptoms. I know a lot of people who don't have AD who eat one thing at a time. A lot of them won't eat casseroles because it mixes too many foods together! It takes all kinds!
I will admit that where he used to eat meat first, he now saves it for last - like it is desert! <grin>
Not being able to see the thing that is right in front of you is a known dementia symptom. That one even has a name although I've forgotten it.
Not being able to follow directions is also a known dementia symptom. That is actually on the mini-mental test.
The eating one thing at a time and food not touching on the plate can be either a dementia symptom, if it is new, or it can belong to problems that have existed since childhood. And it is a problem because it is not typical of normal behavior. It just generally isn't worth spending much energy on to fix it unless there is a lot of other compulsive things going on.
I never knew not being able to see something right in front you was a dementia symptom--my DH does that too.Can anyone tell me what the name for this is? Lost sense of direction was the very first thing I noticed.Now there are many others.He seems to be in stage 4.At what stage do you think they can no longer appear "normal" no matter how hard they try? He appears normal most of the time,even to me. Thanks in advance,Ann
Starling, I wonder who decided that eating one thing at a time on your plate was abnormal. <grin> It could be that they prefer one food, so either eat it first or save it for last - like desert! It sounds as abnormal as what I do: one bite of each item on my plate, then start over! A bite of filet mignon, a bite of my fully loaded baked potato, another bite of filet, etc..........even when I go to Luby's, I eat a bite from each "bowl" of vegetables, not one bowl at a time. I often wondered why I eat that way...... :)
Ann, my husband is late stage 6, beginning stage 7 and he still appears normal to all but me and my daughters.
Mary: I am wondering, if you don't mind answering, what symptoms does your DH have that makes him a late stage 6, beginning stage 7 yet seems normal to others?
He can't follow directions half the time; can't say but 5 words, can't read and comprehend what the words mean (he can read one word at a time for you however), can't play Spider Solitaire any more, can't do the dishes; can't vacuum; can't understand what I say most of the time (just frowns at me); doesn't know who I am, other than the fact that I am his lifeline and that I love him and will take care of him and like to hug and kiss with him - he no longer understands the concept of wife and husband; he isn't watching his movies like he used to - he just sits and stares, then gets up and picks a minute piece of lint off the carpet and takes it to the trash can. He sometimes loses his balance, but hasn't fallen. He still can put his clothes on, but it takes him 15-20 minutes; he can't run his own bathwater or wash his hair, but can rub the washcloth with soap over his body. He doesn't change clothes or bathe without my asking him to and laying out what he is to wear and starting his bathwater. Each day I have him show me what two buttons to push to call me on his cell phone. I got through to him 1 1/2 years ago not to answer our regular phone because salesmen would get him to order everything, so he only answers his cell - but 1 1/2 years later, he can't talk, so he can't answer his phone except to open it and listen to me and say yes or no, but I can find out by questioning him if he needs me. Because he is a homebody, he doesn't wander (thank goodness). When he goes to lunch with my friends and me, he puts all concentration upon eating properly and it takes him a long time to finish eating, but it LOOKS normal, just slow. If you have a conversation with him, he looks at you as if he understands what you are saying and he is interested, however in reality, he doesn't understand what you are saying most of the time. And his responses are a nod, or yes or no. He will still occasionally have a really good day, but those are rare now. He can't even pour his own coffee, add milk and sugar and stir any more. He has occasional accidents, but so far they have been in the bathroom. He can't even fix a sandwich. He can, however, open the potato chips bag and the peanut can! <grin> I have to take joy in the small things, sorry!
Not seeing what is infront of them is definitely a dementia symptom. I think it's more they don't RECOGNIZE what's infront of them.
My husband would also do this weird thing where he would stand facing the sofa and then sit down on thin air. He saw the sofa, but didn't realize it needed to be behind him to sit on it. So he'd fall and roll and say "SH*T!"
I didn't really say eating one thing at a time was abnormal. If that was the case my father was "abnormal" he ate one thing at a time, then washed his plate before eating the next thing all his life. My grandfather had individual dishes for each food, he didn't want anything to touch. What I said, was that my husband never ate in this pattern in the past. I was just asking if it was a similarity.
I have a problem that I have not heard about on this subject. My husband,in they say-early stage, lets me take care of bills, paying in restaurants, doing taxes,etc. However, he is on the internet and opens every email and fills out every survey. I recently notice that the phone bill had gone up. I don't see the bill, as the telephone is in his name and he gets the electronic bill. The amount is automatically drafted from our checking account. I called AT&T and found out he had ordered "voice mail". I am not sure what that is or why he thought we needed it. They agreed to refund the money and send bills to me. He has not memory of ordering anything, denies doing it. I worry that all our information is on the web, since he enjoys doing surveys. He was always so sharp, had a very responsible job, but retired early at 53. His problems did not show up for about 7 years, but I am sure he must have realized something was not right. He has an obsession with his shoes. If we are going out, he tries on 3 or 4 pairs and can't find any that are comfortable. I have taken him to podiatrists, physical therapists, all kinds of shoe stores without finding anything comfortable. Mary d
if my DH had access to a computer, i would find a way to unaccess that asap. there are just too many ways for them to be conned into a scheme and give out crucial info without you knowing. and block those unwanted emails somehow with only 'safe' senders people you know. divvi
Kadee, I was just trying to explain in my weird way that I personally didn't think eating one thing at a time was AD related - I took it that you were just inquiring.....Sorry!
There's an interesting article, pretty short, on some of the different ways that AD can affect sight: http://www.alz-nca.org/aboutalz/vision.php
Kadee, it was Starling who said eating one thing at a time and not allowing food to touch on the plate can be a problem, because it is not typical of normal behavior. I think it can be considered an example of obsessive-compulsive behavior, but I haven't looked it up to confirm that.
And I have the same "problem." I like to keep the tastes of different dishes separate, so I do try not to let them touch. Sometimes I'll eat all of one dish first, and then move on to the next; sometimes I'll take a bite here and a bite there. I'm reasonably sure that I don't have a "problem", and I suspect that this behavior pattern is only a problem when it is observed in people who also exhibit other obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
maryd, you are heading into serious trouble with the email. Talk with the people who provide your internet service, to see what you can do to block the emails. You should be able to establish a "white" list and a "black" list, and let only the emails from people you know get through to your husband. Do that RIGHT AWAY. PatB can tell you horror stories about what could happen if you don't.
maryd, a while back one of our group had her husband almost convinced to leave her and take all of their money and run away with another woman!!! Another tried to get credit card and SS number!! You need to disconnect his e-mail pronto!!!! For your financial future, you must protect both of you from the predators. AND no chat rooms for him either.
I chose to disconnect from the internet while I was at work every day and plug it back in after he went to bed at night. After a month, he forgot how to get to Internet Explorer! <grin> I will admit that at first he tried to figure out what was wrong with him not being able to get a connection, and I had to "restore" the computer when I came home from work a few times! He never told me what he was doing, and I never bothered to ask, because I knew!
I also said that unless a whole bunch of other things were also going on, keeping foods separate is NOT worth worrying about or doing anything about. There are foods I also don't want touching, like mashed potato and beets. <grin> There are kids who get into that kind of habit, and sometimes keep it up for a lifetime, because it is the one thing they can control.
The original question was about this behavior suddenly showing up in a dementia patient. Frankly all of our LOs have strange compulsive behaviors that are new, from compulsive tooth picking to finding lint on the floor to eating only one item on their plate at a time. There is nothing we can do about them and nothing we should do about them since they aren't dangerous. Although they might drive US crazy. <grin>
As for looking normal. My husband is in late stage 5 or possibly early stage 6. Most of the time he looks perfectly normal to anyone who doesn't know him. I've taken over ordering in restaurants, paying the bills there and at home, etc., etc. The men who have decided to get him out of the house both for his sake and mine have discovered how to deal with the fact that sometimes he can't figure out what to eat from the menu and how do deal with the fact that he wants to be able to pay for his own meal. NOW they can tell something is wrong and what is wrong because they are actually dealing with the issues, but being in the restaurant with him is not a problem. He looks normal to everyone else there.
It will change when he can't answer a simple question anymore, or when his walking changes from slow to something more noticeable, or when he needs help in the bathroom. Basically some time in Stage 6 or if you are really lucky in Stage 7.
CommentAuthormagnoliarose CommentTime1 hour ago edit delete
I am curious if anyone else has experienced this. My husband eats foods on his plate one at a time. He'll finish one thing before he starts another. Has anyone else experienced this or is this just another form of his control behavior? Hes done this for as long as I have known him.
We're having the sit on thin air problem now, too. She walks up to the chair, swings her butt around, and then gets only one cheek onto the chair. Whump, down she goes, unless we happen to be there to catch her. I am dreading the broken hip, because I'm pretty sure that would be the beginning of the end.
In the last month at bedtime, my husband has a hard time stepping from the hard floor in the bathroom to the carpet in the bedroom. He just stands there looking at the carpet, almost like he is afraid to step onto it. Finally, after a couple times of me saying "It's okay come to bed" he will. Also, doesn't want to lie down until I tell him to, then he will hold his head off the pillow.
kadee, my Dh does this as well. i think its depth perception at a loss here. when i guide him to the bathroom in the wee hrs when we cross the tile to the carpet he always hesitates if he has bare feet, the feel of cold tile he does not like. so i opt to leave him in slip on houseshoes even in bed so when he gets up he doesnt have this issue. it helps lots-also raised his head when laying down all the time to look at anything with lites or glowing..ie bathroom lites on! or red dot on tv. anything. i had to start pulling the bathroom door almost shut so he cant get caught up in the 'glow' things. so strange all of it if you ask me, divvi
If the sun is not shining, my husband is confused what time of day it is. Around 9:30 this morning we were at a department store, one of the workers said " Good Morning" My husband, thought that was a strange thing to say. I explained it was morning.He looked at me like I had 2 heads. Then around 12:30 then again at 1:00 he came in from the garage, he thought it was evening & he should be taking a shower.
I just thought of another thing that my husband has been doing, wondered if any one else has experienced this. He keeps giving his things away. First it was to the grand-kids....which was fine. Now, he has gave away a really nice expensive golf bag to the neighbor & now an expensive bicycle to the neighbor kid...not close, hardly know these people. I tried to tell him it was nice that he shared with them, however, I wonder what is next.
Wow. Never heard of that one. Husband here wants to KEEP everything. You can only use so many shovels and he doesn't use any anymore. I asked son in law to clean about 20% of excess STUFF from the outside garage before I tried to clean it up for winter.
Hello..welcome to my world. G's hobby for the last several years has been making and flying remote control airplanes..R/C's. VERY $$$$ hobby. I sold a couple of his small planes on Craig's list for a song, then he had a flying club member over and next thing...he GAVE him all his stuff...I'm talking $$$$$$$ of stuff. I smiled and gulped..at least I don't have to deal with it now, but !!!! Not even a tax deduction!
Was wondering if others have experienced your spouse hitting his/her head. It seems like my husband hits his head at least once a day on something. I am thinking his depth perception is broke. I think he has a permanent dent on the top of his head from hitting it so often.
I just skimmed thru this post, and am not sure if anyone had brought this up as a solution for the eating one thing at a time issue that some of you posted about. My Dh was one who put everything on a different plate these last few years. Made me a crazy person, had bowls and plates all over the table just for him. Until I read that AD sufferers have issues with distinguishing between the different foods. The article said to serve their meal on colorful plates. Our plates at the time were a crock type tan, after reading the article I got a brick red color. It's helped so much, cuts down on washing so many dishes. And just tonight I served dinner on paper plates (white) and all be dammmed he had three of them going. I don't know why it works, I just know it's been a lot easier to serve dinner since changing our dishes out for a brighter color. Rk
I clear away six or eight dishes at both lunch and breakfast (not so much at dinner). One for the orange. One to cut the orange on (He loves to cut it into sections). One to put the peels in after he's eaten a section. One for the yogurt. One for the yogurt plate to sit in. One for the banana. An egg dish. A milk glass.. etc. He balances stuff on the napkin holder, the toothpick holder (don't get me started on toothpicks!); he'll pick up MY silverware and use it after he's used his or sometimes before..
Yes color for dishes. PATTERNS I think not so much.