I have a family member, who is in her mid 70's, who is obsessed with the weather. She doesn't have dementia, but does have anxiety, socializes quite a bit, attends church, visits with friends, has fairly good health, though she has many psychologically induced ailments, HOWEVER, when it comes to the weather, it's like she is totally obsessed.
During the spring and summer she is constantly watching the weather reports and Weather channel, worrying about storms, wind, rain, lightning, etc. She is so over the top about it. She sits up all night if storms are predicted. Our entire family is aware of this and she knows that a lot of the younger ones roll their eyes and patronize her about it, as she is very verbal in warming others about storms. It really is concerning.
I suppose there isn't much that can be done. She refuses medication, which the doctor has prescribed for her anxiety and she is adamant that she doesn't want to end this obsession! lol I've never known of anyone else like this before.
I have discussed it with her primary, but she won't go to a psychiatrist. I did get my dad to one and he did quite well after diagnosis of Conversion Disorder and is on meds and doing very well now.
She refuses to take meds for anxiety, so......
If she's out and about, I can easily understand this. Weather became more of a concern as my father aged. During the winter I added plenty of blankets and emergency supplies in the event of car problems and being stranded, even for a short time.
When he went on oxygen 24/7, I became even more concerned. I've made it a policy not to make any appointments, or I'll change appointments on sweltering 90+ days, because of the danger of co-morbidity factors being compounded by excessive heat. I also carry extra water in the car, and now plan to try to find some powdered Gatorade to carry as well.
I also follow weather closely for gardening purposes, but that's a bit of a different story, although gardeners I know do b/c (a) they start seeds indoors and during the change from winter to spring are constantly monitoring weather to determine if they can set their seeds out to harden off, and (b) for general purposes such as watering, mulching, harvesting, etc.
There's another remotely possible issue and that's that the storms often bring devastation, which I think frightens older people, and the news channels dwell on the disasters in all their dismal detail. People who are vulnerable I think can't help wondering what would happen to them if something like that occurred in their area.
Last year when (I believe it was) an island off Mass., was flooded, power was out, heat was out, and the situation was really a disaster, I couldn't help thinking what I would do if that happened here....with an older parent, no heat, no electricity, nothing to power the oxygen...even if there was a generator, it probably would be sitting underwater.
Those kinds of situations and the anxiety they create are real, for caregivers and for those who might be compromised if disaster struck.
Sunny, you write that she has many psychologically induced ailments. W/o prying, what are some of the others, and are they related to personal fears, situations that could create harm (including ones such as being in unsafe areas)?
Like that he's going deaf. It worries him when he can't hear a conversation. But watching the weather lets him not worry about hearing because television weather reports are highly produced. The animated maps appeal to him with their swirling winds and temperature readings in big numbers. All that visual "stuff" popping up keeps him interested.
I will address some of the questions to better highlight her situation.
She does get out in the yard and garden. She has lovely flowers, plants, and vegetables that she tends to with her husband, but they don't seem to be the reason she is obsessed with the weather. She does worry that hail will damage the cars.
I have played professional and tried to diagnose her and came up with her brain trying to focus on other things so that she won't have to deal with worries in her life. I know many of her worries and they aren't all that bad, although, I'm not 75 years old. I have to understand that you have certain fears at that age, that you don't when younger. All families have issues, but currently, there is nothing huge that is pressing her. One of the grandchildren has a serious medical condition, but that is stable. Mom's issues predate that problem though. Her misery is all in her own mind, imo.
She wasn't this way when I was growing up. It started later on. I recall her thinking she was dying and getting a complete physical exam at Duke Medical Center. They checked out everything and gave her a clean bill of health. She was livid. How dare they say there was nothing wrong with her. She KNEW something was very wrong. It started then. Endless doctor visits. She's had a few actual issues with GYNO problems, hernia surgery for that, and gout, but according to her it's constant and endless, though she has no awareness of how deep it is. Everyday, it's complaints of one or more of the following: constipation, diarrhea, headache, back pain, hot scalp, earache, sore eye, shoulder pain, nausea, funny looking vein on arm, odd feeling, just plain sick. The list is endless. She even says, "There is no need to see the doctor, because he'll just say there's nothing wrong with me." But, she does regularly see her primary and takes her pills for hypertension and Vitamin supplements that doctor has ordered.
Her medical files would fill an entire room. I know that previous doctors have suspected psychologically induced ailments, because she has shared how insulted she is that they have inquired if she was abused as a child! lol She's insulted by that. I know why they ask it. She denies it.
I've been working with her current primary and he is aware. He's prescribed various meds for anxiety and depression, but she always says she can't tolerate them. They make her feel funny. So, she keeps being obsessed with her ailments and the weather. She takes an occasional Vistaril, which does help her a lot. But, she is only suppose to take this for itching. It helps her anxiety a lot too.
She refuses to see a psychiatrist. That's the only doctor she won't see. lol
My mother didn't fixate on the weather, but she did fixate on imaginary problems with the house. This began after my father died 4 years ago and still continue.
Dad will call me at home if he knows of a tornado heading in my direction, that I will take notice as I am scared silly of tornadoes and hail [hail mainly because my house has skylights]. And if there is a lot of wind, I won't sleep upstairs.
The "Dad Weather Alerts" I will ignore are the ones like he will call and say "schools are closed in Chicago".... ok, but he and I both live in the Washington DC area so it doesn't affect us.
The weather obsession I now find is good, especially if Dad is sundowning he is alert about the weather and that helps me change the subject to weather.
I do lean towards mental health being the culprit. I think she received a lot of attention when she was a child and got sick. I wonder if that is what she is seeking. Most of us now ignore the complaints. I praise her and give positive feedback when she is not complaining and obsessing.
She likes her doctor okay, but isn't happy that he always suggests the meds for anxiety/depression.
I've shown her many articles on anxiety, illnesses produced by psychological reasons, etc. She's taken them with her to her doctor and admitted she thinks it might be something to it, but she won't really accept it.
it was the way it was since i was a kid- the weather was a big subject especially snow=eeek! grocery shop enough for a month!
glad i have a weather-nut for a boy friend because I miss her talking about it.
After dementia set in, it was all this and more. Mom's all-day loop of talk radio escalated her weather obsession. During every (oft-repeated) weather segment, mom would stop everything and forbid anyone to speak. If there was a wildfire or earthquake 3,000 miles away or flooding in swamp lands or a hurricane at the beach or a blizzard in the Rockies, she took it as seriously as if it were happening next door. Which became a litany of "the west coast is very dangerous.....make sure you don't have a plane layover in tornado country.....people die at the beach.....don't leave the house in the winter....." On and on.
Now for the irony of it all. For a spell, I had the "choice" of giving mom my Saturday or my Sunday. If one weekend day was predicted rainy and one weekend day was predicted clear, I'd choose the rainy day as Mom Day. And she would invariably protest, because she didn't want me driving to/from her house in the Very Dangerous Rain. Aye yi yi.
Too bad! When I could pull it off, Rain Day was Mom Day. And bless her heart, mom simply Could Not Comprehend that I wanted (needed) to reserve the nice day for myself. So I could maybe spend my limited free time at the pool or doing outdoor activities. With mom's brain damage, stuff like that did not compute. Her mind was a loop of chores and paranoia. Sad.
BigHole, I get what you've gone through. It's very surreal. I do have SOME GOOD NEWS! For some of you, you may know that my mom went on meds for depression/anxiety a couple of weeks ago. This was after a trip to the ER with stroke like symptoms. It's still early, but she seems to be doing better! Her physical ailment complaints are way down and she doesn't mention the weather as much. We have had a few storms, but she didn't act out the way she normally does. We are due for some bad ones soon, so, time will tell, but, I think the meds are really helping. Knock on wood and hallelujah!
My husband Coy asked every morning what the temperature was. Sometimes I teased him. "It is 72 in here, and we are going to stay in all day." But I think knowing the outside temperature oriented him a bit. If it was 22 out, he knew not to wear shorts, and if it was 88 he wouldn't wear sweat pants, even inside. The temperature meant more to him than seasons during his dementia.
He loved "interesting" weather. He'd open the big garage door and sit on a folding chair during storms. He would only reluctantly join me in the basement if there was a tornado warning for the area.
I have read entries in the diaries of two of my farmer aunts. Each and every day starts with the temperature and a weather note. "84, dry wind" "28, snowing" I wouldn't say either was obsessed with the weather, but it was simply a factor in their lives.
If you live in Tahiti, weather is probably not something you think much about. It is pretty much the same every day. You don't need a five-day forecast! But in variable climates, most of us have some interest in the weather.
Sunnygirl1, I am very happy for you and for Mother that some medications are helping her!
More recently when we had the horse farm there were many weather worries. Is it going to rain on the hay they just cut? Will it stop raining so they can cut the hay? is the blizzard too bad to turn the horses out? Can I even get to the barn the snow is three feet deep? Later on when I was working for hospice my weather worries were all in the winter. Praying there would not be any calls that night because it was ten below and snowing. Now I just sit in the house and throw another log in the stove. Bliss to be retired.
Anyone who enjoys the old British comedies will remember Mrs Bale from "As time goes by" who always announced the latest shipping forecast before telling the family that the meal would be served in 4 and a half minutes.
As an aside Dame Judy Dench has early dementia and has difficulty remembering her lines this days.
I have even better news. Today, we had a pretty severe storm. Lots of lightning, however, my mom did very well. She didn't obsess and she never cried out, like she normally does each time the thunder sounds. It HAS to be the medication that's helping her.
I am just bemused...so much better than the bowel movement obsessions some elders have!