Settling in

We spent all day yesterday settling back in at home. Dwane was helpful. It is beginning to feel like home, less cluttered with boxes. A friend asked me yesterday how Dwane was, and I found myself saying that he seems better cognitively than he was one year ago, but physically more deteriorated. The medications, Aricept and Namenda, have really given us a second chance with his cognitive skills. He is much better in many ways than he was 1 to 1 1/2 years ago. When we went on the cruise and he was lost for 45 minutes on the ship, that is a good barometer for me to compare with our most recent trip. Part of the difference is that Dwane accepts he has been given this diagnosis and has some limitations. That is why it is so important to have a good neuoropsychological evaluation --- to help the person with dementia see their emerging difficulties and to know how to address them while drawing upon their strengths. The field of medication has been helpful. I wish they could do more.