Hi Gammee. My sister has begun to growl when I am occupied with something that is taking my attention from her. Particularly when I am driving. I think she is just trying to let me know that she is unhappy about something going on around her.. Sometimes I'll growl back at her and smile, or give her a hug and that will get her to giggle. I love that. She is at a point that she has a lot of difficulty communicating what, if anything, is bothering her. Sometimes when I hear the growling, I think she is trying to hum, but just can't quite get the sound out right. Good luck. The best advice I can give you is to keep your sense of humor. Always! It can be hard, but if you can turn frustration into something funny, it affects the mood of everyone around you. Hope this helps,
Peggy

My husband and our dog both seem to have "Sundowner's" Syndrome, but the dog growls and my husband is just grouchy. He seems to forget not to bother the dog and I try to remember not to bother him with anything to complicated. He likes to sit and let me wait on him, like at supper time, but I tell him, he can get up and do things too. He loves to wash the dishes, so I let him do as much of that as he wants - seems to calm him down - looking out the window and knowing he is doing something he can control. I wonder if the feeling of losing control, isn't part of the reason they get growly later in the day, especially??!/sam

To BarbGilbert......Your days sound much like mine. My husband wants to help, but it is usually more like letting a toddler help. It frustrates him and me. It is hard for him, when he used to be able to fix anything and take much of the load of repairs and lawn off me. What a horrible thing to live in his mind. Yes, we care takers have a difficult time and their sleep is a short reprieve, but I feel so sorry for the afflicted loved one. I hope you have as much peace as possible. Hang in there.

My cousin who has dementia is doing that. I just ignore it. He just seems to be making sounds. So far my husband who also has dementia has not started that. He sleeps quite a bit and I let him. I know he is safe if he is in bed. I check to be sure he is breathing just like I did to the kids when they were babies.
Today he started on his checking account. I handle all the bills. I just gave him a kiss and told him I would look at things later. Later he will forget that he asked. Right now I am working on his medical insurance. The amount or work we have to do as family caregivers gets astronomical at times. I pay all the bills, do all the shopping, cook meals, clean up after him and our dog, walk the dog, the list goes on and on.

Having control is a big issue, especially when they have been in a position of control in their professional lives. I am glad you have found something your husband can do to make him feel useful. My husband begs for this , but then becomes irritated and frustrated when he is unable to complete the task If I tell him the trash needs to go out, he only takes it to the garage and not out to the trash bin and definitely cannot roll the bin to the street on collection day. He gets angry that this is too much for him to recall. I just go out later and carry it out from the garage. I guess I am learning patients. This is not something I would have ever tolerated with out complaining before Alzheimers.