Carrie,

He has been in the nursing home for almost a year now. It is
frustrating because he is on a floor that has a lot of non-social
people (Alzhiemers, etc), and doesn't like to associate with them. I
had him moved to a more active floor, but with his dementia that he has
he would walk out of his room buck naked yelling for a nurse. He can't
do that on that floor as there are more retirees there, so as a result
he was moved back to where he started at. I plan on asking at his next
care meeting about having them bring him downstairs for social events
that they are having and will see how that goes, as I know he loves
scrabble. I am getting a bit frustrated with this nursing homes as it
seems that they are understaffed and don't provide as much attention
for the residents as they could, but I think all of the state sponsored
ones are probably like that. As far as rooming, yes, he shares a room
with two to three other people. He is very friendly with the staff (he
can be a real charmer when he so chooses), and they all love him and
laugh about how much they all love him. Of course, when he can't get
his way he is one of the meanest people you know, so it isn't always
fun and smiles with the staff.

In reference to the behavior change, I have not been given a medical
answer on that. One possible explanation is that WKS is a problem with
the brain. When the brain starts to get tired (in a normal person), be
it from lack of sleep, a long day, lower oxygen count in the blood, or
some type of infection, it is much easier for confusion to set in. Pair
that up with someone suffering from WKS and the results would be
amplified. I always know when my dad is tired as his speech slurs, he
has a hard time walking, gets confused on the time of day, that my mom
has been gone for nearly 6 years, etc. Again, I haven't gotten any
offical confirmation on any of this from a medical source, but from a
logical point of view it would appear to make some sense.

I am outside of Chicago (and sick of the snow and soooo ready to move
the heck out of here and into a warmer climate - Scottsdale sounds good
right about now!), and the county that I am in looked at my dad and
said there was no way he could live by himself with his short term
memory loss, period. For that reason I was able to get him on medicaid
(with the assistance of the nursing home) fairly easily and into a long
care home. The administration of the nursing home has continually told
me that there is no way he can function independantly, so while it is a
double edged sword, at least I know he will be safer there then with me
caring for him. I have a daughter who is almost 4, and I can't even
imagine how hard it must be not only being a single parent and raising
your child by yourself, but also having to be a caregiver at the same
time. There is only so much of you to go around!!! Take care and good
luck :) As always, if you or anyone else has any questions I am more
then happy to share my experiences and adventures with this sad
condition.

Dave

--- In wernicke-korsakoff_syndrome@yahoogroups.com, carrie buckingham
<ibcarrieat@...> wrote:
>
> Dave,
> Tell me more about your dad's life in the nursing home? Does he get
involved in activities? Socialize with anyone? Room with anyone? How
long has he been in the home? Aren't you back east some where? I wonder
why infections affect WKS patients like this. Sounds like another
question for the doctor. And Dave, I appreciate your ramblings (lol). I
find reading others stories very therapeutic.

<snip>