OET Listening Parte A: Caring for a Husband with Dementia

Oh, hello nurse.

My husband seems quite settled now, so I can answer those questions if you like.

Yes, Mrs Georges, now's a good time.

Come in and have a seat.

So how are you feeling now that Mr Georges is here with us?

Oh, I know it was the right decision.

Being the only carer for my husband has been such hard work.

And we did discuss everything fully with social workers and our doctor.

But I do miss having him with me at home.

It had to happen though, and I'm completely worn out.

Do you mind telling me more about your husband?

I do wish you could have seen him before all this happened.

He was so active and alert, always helping people.

He was in the Navy when he was younger,

so he'd often spend months away at a time.

I got quite used to being on my own before he retired.

I hope you've got family nearby to help out and keep you company.

Well, I won't be lonely.

Our son lives just round the corner and we have a daughter who comes to visit as often as she can.

She has a young family now though, so she's quite busy.

I really lost my husband when his mind started to go.

When did you first notice something was wrong?

Hard to say exactly.

I suppose you expect your memory to get worse,

so you put the little lapses down as getting older.

We all lose our glasses and forget our names.

But then it became clear it was more than that.

He started to seem muddled,

you know, confused by everyday things like making a pot of tea.

He would put the tea bags into the kettle instead of in the pot, or the cups,

or he'd forget about the kettle altogether and try making tea with cold water.

How was he himself?

At first he knew something was wrong.

He was frustrated and would fly off the handle with me and I'd snap back at him.

I suppose I didn't realise he couldn't help it.

I feel teary now just talking about it.

After 40 years of marriage, we knew what the other was thinking most of the time.

But now we can't understand one another at all.

I'm sorry Mrs Georges.

In the beginning, when I really started to suspect something wasn't right,

One of the main things he'd do would be ask me the same question again and again.

I'd say to him, Bob, you're driving me mad.

And he'd just smile, and the next minute he'd do it again.

But now he hardly speaks at all.

How is he with his everyday tasks?

Oh, he has a lot of trouble with dressing, I have to help him.

It's as if he's completely forgotten what it is he has to do.

Getting him to have a shave is another issue.

He won't do it and he pushes me away if I try to help.

I hate to see him looking so untidy.

He was always so particular about the way he looked.

Maybe you'll have better luck with him than I had.

Perhaps.

Oh, and the last few months he started to wander off during the day.

That's been a real problem.

He would go out the front door and down the street before I even knew what was happening.

I was sure that one day he was going to get hit by a car

and then he stopped knowing the difference between day and night

and would get up out of bed at all hours.

That really frightened me.

I used to wonder what would happen if he turned on the gas for the oven.

He was always playing with the controls for it during the day.

I'd lay there in bed in the dark listening to hear if he was going to get up

and then when I finally did fall asleep any little noise would wake me.

That's what finally convinced me to bring him here.