I don't know if you have ever watched that 1993 movie where Bill Murray played a weatherman who woke up every day to relive the same day over and over again.
Sometimes, I think my patients with Alzheimer's disease do that too, or at least seem to have that experience.
One caregiver related how his father with Alzheimer's would call him frantically every morning to report that his car had been stolen. He had to be reminded that the car had actually been sold and the money deposited in his bank account.
I thought it was quite funny, but his family members probably don't think so.
Mr H is 90 years old and his Alzheimer's has gotten increasingly worse. He is doddery but can still walk with a cane and minimum assistance. He lost his wife of nearly 70 years very recently.
“Oh, how is dad? Is he aware that mom is gone?” I asked their son K, who is Mr H's main caregiver now.
K then related how every morning, his father would walk up to his wife's room and peer in, looking for her.
When they tell him that she is gone, his smile fades and he looks like he wants to cry.
After a moment, he forgets and goes happily about his day, till he passes her room again the next morning, and goes through the whole drill once more.
There isn't a happy ending like in the movies.