Katie loves to go outside in the evenings and enjoy the cool weather. She plays or sits or just hangs around. But, it drives Mom absolutely bonkers that "that little girl is out there all alone!" So, Mom tries to go out. When I ask her not to, she always listens. For a few minutes. But if I am distracted, she is outta here. She'll come back in when I ask. But, she will keep trying to slip out. It becomes funny when she acts like she is going to get a drink of water. Next thing I know she has slipped out the back door and is bugging Katie to come in.
Late in the evening when she is getting ready to go to bed, she will go to the kitchen many times for a drink of water. She walks back through with her housecoat pockets bulging. I say, "Mom? What do you have in your pockets?" "Nothing", as she tucks the folds to hide the pockets. I get her to show me and she has stuffed her pockets with bread. She is so cute when she acts like she didn't put it there. Picture a 2 year old getting caught in the cookie jar.She will stand almost out of sight from wherever we are. We call her "The Lurker", You can hear her talking to herself and popping her knuckles. We know she is there but it upsets her if we speak to her while her invisibility force field is in place. Doesn't that sound like a toddler?
But, my favorite (and most irritating, as well), is that she picks. Apparently, a small percentage of dementia patients scratch at themselves. We spend the day doing this dance: she bends at the waist and picks at her legs, I ask her/tell her to stop. She pretends she is looking at a picture on the wall, or is pulling down the cuff of her pants, or that she has always hung her hands around her ankles like a monkey. I am never surprised when she quotes a 2 year old and says, "I didn't do it."
The upside is that she still has the capability to think through the act of being sneaky.
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