Mom told me she found the new painted cups she thought had been stolen. She found them on a shelf in the bathroom. Earlier in the week she was convinced "they" had come in and stolen them from her kitchen counter.
Alzheimer's seems to warp and distort personality characteristics. Mom has a life long battle with loosing stuff. As a child, I remember her tearing the house apart to find a lost billfold or piece of jewelry. She would get frustrated and determined to search until the item was found at the same time berating herself. Alzheimer's has added a faulty memory, more frenzy and paranoia.
Mom has two other complicating ingrained life habits, she hates clutter and is a constant organizer. If she sees something out of place she will put it anywhere out of site, thinking she will remember. That is how the cups ended up in the bathroom, her billfold in the dresser drawer, and her meds in the wrong cabinet.
Mom loved a clean organized home, it made her feel good and gave her a sense of accomplishment. Today, she is constantly reorganizing and compulsively putting things out of site and always looking for things she has misplaced, convinced "they" have stolen it. What once was a source of comfort and pride is now a constant frustrating humiliating battle.
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