Shoe Fetish

Lately, Mom has a bit of a shoe fetish. When she was in moderate stages of the disease, she used to be OCD about laying out her clothes for the following day, shoes and socks included. She'd also place her pajamas on the footstool that sat in the corner of her bathroom/vanity area. The obsession has continued, even though she no longer changes her clothes by herself anymore. I think it's just the motion of doing it; she remembers that she has to put clothes in the corner but she doesn't remember why she does it.

The thing is, Mom is not only laying out her own clothes and shoes. She collects dad's shoes and whatever shoes she can find throughout the house and puts them in her corner. There have been several occasions where my, or other family member's shoes, have gone missing. When that happens, we know the first place to look: Mom's corner. And sure enough, that's where we find them! One day, not long ago, I actually had to hide my shoes because she kept coming out to the living room to retrieve them and take them back to her room! It gives us all a good chuckle.

Sometimes, Mom will actually attempt to wear the shoes she collects. Last week, I heard heels clacking down the hallway as Mom made her way out of her bedroom. The sound made me raise my eyebrows and I laughed out loud when she made her grand entrance wearing my dad's church shoes.

Sometimes, with all the sadness that dementia brings, you've gotta find things to laugh at. I know as we look back on memories with Mom, her shoe fetish will always give us a good chuckle!