Words that won't be found

Gpa came into our home office this afternoon, rather agitated, mumbling, trying to say something but speaking gibberish. It wasn't a stroke, it was word-finding difficulty. He managed the phrase "those white things" and we realized he was asking to have one of the coconut cupcakes on the kitchen counter (I'd made them for Ben's friends who visited today).

However, when I quizzed him to see what he wanted, and to make sure his difficulty wasn't something more serious, he seemed quite frustrated with himself for not being able to find his words, and kept running his hands through his lovely white hair and shaking his arms out in agitation.

So, I got him a cupcake and then took him for a walk, thinking it would help to calm him, perhaps re-orient him. After a few quiet minutes of walking, he asked "Have you talked to Mother lately?"

It turned out he was thinking of his mother, and he didn't know who I was, he thought I was his sister.

So, we clarified the ideas, who was who, and who was alive, and he seemed appreciative, and said "Well, I'm glad to get notification of those events."

Back home, I settled him down with the first of two dinners, nice and hot, and when he was done he put on his hat and jacket again and came to me and asked "Didn't you say we were going on a walk?"

Tonight, he put his hat and coat on to go outside at 10:30 pm, so Vince intercepted that and suggested a different choice of activities (ie, bed-time). He asked when we'd be going to San Diego - and when the 'choo-choo' would arrive to take him there.

That reminded me of a similar episode of word-finding difficulty last year, in which he said he was looking for his shoes, but couldn't think of the word for them, so called them "cloppity-clops".

He was very convinced that we had plans for him to leave sometime tonight or tomorrow, and was again relieved to be re-oriented towards what was happening (and not happening), and said again "I'm very glad to know these things".