They are extremely afraid of her. My twin daughters who just turned 7 years old and i (42 yr old single mom whom spent every last dollar to move in this house which was adver. in paper-so their is no money to move. we are stuck) just found out she has dementia, which i know nothing of. she has mood swings, she actually seems to be a completely defferent person than the woman who greeted us at her door to show us the 2 rms and bathroom, sweet as pie. she has been making me very angry ,upset, and she has my daughters scared to death, they actually want to sleep in my rm w me. its as if she only knows to scream and start drama ,i guess for attention? are we safe? what can i do to explain to my children?(until we can get out of there. thank you for any info. that you
There are books written for children to help them understand dementia, check with your library. The more they understand the less frightened they will be. If they can learn to be calm and to help defuse the situation, they will feel safer and more in control until you can arrange other another living situation.
My MIL has dementia and I have daughters ( 4 -11 years old). I explained what was going on by telling them she was sick and explained her brain didn't work right all the time - she is unable to make "connections". We then discussed the connections they were learning at school and the similarities and differences. A good example of her erratic behavior was of a window being open and shut. When the windows are open everything flows nices and feels good but as the window closes that slows down. Think about all the windows being shut and you want to get out. That make you pretty frustrated. I let my daughters ask questions from there...
But I am concerned - how did you find out her diagnosis? Was it a 3rd party? Could you speak with them about her behavior?
Sorry for all the follow up questions.
If you have a written lease, I would call the police during the next episode of dementia. They might be able to help.
My daughter was 3 when we moved into a home with 6 elderly. She is now 13. I love that she has had so many grandma;s and grandpa's/ She learned. She doesn't get scared, she will just say I know mom, it is dementia. My older children visit, along with the grandchildren who want to "see the ladies". I think education will go a long way in helping the situation.
But, do seek help for your landlord. Call until you find help. Try looking up Adult Protective Services, and Elder Services and even 911.
Alzheimer's patients are not generally a danger to you. Try visiting with her more--Listening, eye to eye, and smiling while always keeping the same calm, quiet demeanor seems to help.
Please don't miss this chance for your children to learn first hand about a growing disease, and learn to not be afraid of elderly, handicapped, and other "diseased" people.