This morning dad called four times to ask me to take some money over for him. Nothing unusual about that, but on this occasion it got me wondering about what is really going on inside his head.

I handed him $150 on Friday, and he still has it - all of it. He has no plans to go shopping. By his own admission, once we looked at the facts, he doesn't need any more. Each time he called, it seemed we'd resolved the situation to his satisfaction, thus: yes, he agreed he has enough cash and if for some reason he has not, I shall be there tomorrow morning anyway.

But then twenty minutes later we go through the whole thing again.

Let's assume the call is really about money. I try to tease apart the components of the problem:

  1. He is anxious that he doesn't have enough cash.
  2. He does not check to see whether his anxiety is founded or unfounded.
  3. He does not learn from the repeated telephone calls that they are pointless.
Of course the calls may not be about money at all; they may stem from simple feelings of helplessness or loneliness. The money is perhaps a pretext to get me over there. There is a more than chance probability that this is the explanation, but it is interesting to analyse the problem, just in case money really is at the root of it.

I ought to admit here that I have a prior interest in cognition, and a couple of degrees in the area. I probably ought also to admit that the family is unusually well-qualified, academically, in other relevant areas. Both Rachel and Rebecca have degrees in psychology. Rebecca also has a masters or two and is doing a PhD in dementia and aged care. Derek's wife, Janet, has a clutch of degrees, including a PhD in health care. Despite all of this, we still struggle at times to understand, or to be understanding, which is a different thing.

but back to the problem...

Component 1 is perhaps due to dad having no idea what anything costs any more, but this is a questionable explanation because his tendency is to overestimate the value of money, harking back to the days when $10 was enough to help out a mate in trouble and a cup of coffee cost a few cents. It is more likely to be an endogenous anxiety, rather than one that is a reaction to the current state of affairs.

Component 2 is due, I guess, to the loss of the reasoning faculty - the ability to follow through chains of 'If X, then Y, else Z', the habit of testing one's own hypotheses, the unconscious use of syllogism.

Component 3 is explained fully by the loss of memory.

When I put them all together  I realise that this simple repetition of a request for money seems to indicate problems in several parts of dad's mental processes. Indeed, suddenly, I get a feel for how widespread cerebral atrophy corrodes all mental functions, which in turn conspire to create the dysfunctional behaviour of Alzheimer's.

If dad had no anxiety he wouldn't bother to call. If he checked to see whether his worries were founded, he wouldn't need to call. If he remembered that we had already discussed and resolved the issue he wouldn't call again. Aha! I think I get it now!