21-10-13 - Wednesday II - Dementia Diaries VI - Sign Your Name

Last Friday I took Mum to a local private hospital for an assessment of her foot. She has a hammer toe, which is one of the few things she is concerned about these days. I don't think the toe in itself causes her any pain, but because it is raised up she has a callous on her toe knuckle which does rub and cause her pain when she walks - and she is still very active. 

Anyway, at the hospital there were a number of forms she needed to complete, which I helped her with. She did need to sign her name though. I had noticed that her handwriting has changed over the last few months and is certainly a lot less cursive than it used to be. In fact, writing and words have taken on an almost mystical meaning; she reads aloud virtually every sign she sees, as if to prove that she can read, or in an attempt to extract the essential meaning of the words? 

Well, it seems that Mum has forgotten how to spell her name, which is a sad development. I had to spell out her surname letter by letter, so that she could write it on the forms which she needed to complete. It's another stage in the development of her disease, I suppose, which has become evident / is unavoidable. She didn't seem to be worried or embarrassed by this event though; I don't know how aware she is, if at all,