Time

Day 42: 42 days and 42 nights. 
Time for the last 42 days has been an interesting element to the day in the life of.  My MIL obviously has no concept of time or what day it is so here are some observations in the last few days:
1.  Work days- she knows when it is a work day because my husband and I get up, get dressed, and leave for work.

2. Weekends- she knows its a weekend because my husband and I get up, clean house, but don't leave.  She always wants to know if it is church day.

3. School days- if my teenage daughter is still in bed she knows its the weekend; if she is gone during the day she knows it is a school day.

4. Time- she wears a watch everyday and looks at it all day long.  She will eat breakfast first thing in the morning, eat a bowl of cereal again at 10am, eat lunch when someone is eating, and eat dinner when we eat but most meals are accompanied by, "oh, I'm not hungry or oh, I just ate" and then she will eat anyway.

5. Meal Time- last night my husband, my MIL, and I sat at the kitchen table and ate hamburgers we fixed on
the grill.  My MIL sat across from my husband and watched him eat.  He finished his hamburger got up from the table and went to the island to eat one of the hamburger patties that was left.  My MIL said, "David, aren't your going to eat?"  He said he had eaten and was going to eat the last pattie by itself with ketchup.  As he was sitting back down at the table, she said, "Is that all you are going to eat?"  She did not remember him eating or asking him about eating.  This took place within about 30 seconds.

6. Home from Work- two days ago I came home to my MIL sitting in the living room watching TV.  She asked how my day was at work and I responded fine.  I went on into my bedroom to change clothes and returned to the kitchen to begin supper.  My husband was outside and she had gone outside with him.  When she returned she came back into the kitchen and as if she hadn't seen me said, "Oh, how was your day at work?"

Time has left her in regards to knowing what time it is and what you do when but she has learned to pay attention to what others are doing and that is her cue.  Last night she asked out of the blue, "what day is it?"

I can't imagine what that must feel like.  I am driven by schedules, deadlines, events that are coming up, calendars, and such that I can't imagine how lost she must feel going through the day not knowing if it is Fall, Spring, late or early in the day.  I know we all look forward to the day when we can retire and do whatever we want to do when but won't we still be bound by TIME.  In the world of a person with FTD, Time is irrelevant but routines for her and others around her can be very important.