Just last week my mother passed a mental acuity test at her doctor’s office with flying colors. My sister took her. Said she remembered everything…short term stuff, long term. Was witty as all hell. As soon as she got home, she couldn’t recall what day it was no matter how hard she tried. That had to be something to do with adrenalin or something. It has to be more than just the “good days, bad days” syndrome.

It hasn’t all been mental acuity, though. We just had to unravel her finances and deal with the fact that she can’t even handle the day to day petty cash without help.

Tonight at home, not so good at all. During dinner she asked me what appointments I had this week. I told her about the two that I had. We discussed them. About five minutes later, she asked me what appointments I had this week. We did that three times. That’s not counting the identical conversation we had once or twice earlier in the evening.

What was really sad came later, though. My sister and I were talking about Tom, someone who we both know, but she knows better because she’s worked with him for many years. I’ve worked at the same place for two and a half years. My mother knows him, too. She knows most people my sister works with because my sister has been at the same place for eighteen years. She couldn’t figure out where I would have seen Tom, though. What was sad was the deer in the headlights look on her face when she realized she was missing a piece of the puzzle that she should really have. We explained and calmed her down, but she was kind of freaked. About a half hour later she was heading for the front door, which was worrisome. It seems that she couldn’t remember what house we live in and wanted to have a look from outside.

It’s gotten to the point where she has internalized the fact that she forgets things, and even manages a kind of haughty aplomb about it if someone seems to expect too much in the way of memory. But up to now it’s been all short term things and this was a little different and she knew it. Tomorrow could be a good day, of course. I hope it is.