Hello again. It’s been a while, but I’ve been working rather diligently on a two important projects the last couple of months and have put every spare minute and thought into both. One is a collection of short stories which I finally was able to put together (a great ambition of mine) and send off the samples etc to a publisher, and the other is a novel I’ve been working on for a number of years which I think (I hope) I have rendered into as perfect a form as I am currently able. For the latter had an August 1 deadline.

So, what have I learned in the meantime about aging and dementia? I have participated in a couple of Zoom meeting, and was surprised at just how well off my mother and I are. The level of care some people need is remarkable, and I realize we are nowhere near the point of crisis. Difficulties, yes, but crisis, no.

The thing I have noticed most recently is my mother’s lack of energy. She is sleeping longer, sometimes well past noon. And when she gets up, she often lies down a few hours later. Although she insists she does not intend to sleep, she often does.

On our last visit to her doctor (we go every four weeks), I asked him about my mother’s fatigue. He said we should not be worried, at 92 years of age, there is nothing abnormal about someone wanting to lie down or take long naps. Okay, but I’ll keep an eye on it.

In the evening, if she does not want to sit up after supper, we regularly arrange her pillows so she can watch TV from her bed. (It is in the living room of our one bedroom condo, the actual bedroom is mine.) Game shows grab her attention and keep her alert, she enjoys “The Big Bang Theory,” music shows such as “America’s got Talent” as well as the Canadian version, and she has a keen interest in Canadian football and NHL hockey, especially if our hometown teams are playing. “Go Blue, Go.” She also enjoys the news, CBC and CTV, and CNN when the latter is not going on endlessly about American politics.

The only thing is she can’t remember what she has seen. A problem of short term memory, I suppose. For instance, when the subject of how long ago she came to live with me arises, she often claims it’s only been a few weeks, when in fact it’s been over four years. And don’t try to tell her anything different.

We do, however, have little quizzes. What is the capitol city of Canada, for instance, what is the name of our Prime Minister. At first, she drew a blank, but with repetition, the names are coming much faster. I think this gives her satisfaction.

But what about long term memory? The kind of thing you would think would be most close to her, but is not. I read a fascinating article on the CBC web site not long ago, and it describes a kind of memory loss that has many similarities as those which affect my mother.

But more of that next time.