Hi all
When I point to something my mother, aged 77, won't follow my finger. I've noticed it a few times. I was talking about her towel the other day which was hanging just to my left. She asked what one and I said that one and pointed. She remained looking at me and asking which one, was it the red one, or this or that etc. And I kept saying 'that one!' and pointing to it a metre away from me.
After too many seconds and me telling her to follow my finger (which she still didn't seem to do properly), she realised I was referring to the one hanging a metre away from me. The only one.
In the car I sometimes say 'Oh look at that,' and she just looks out of her side of the window, even if I'm pointing out to my side. She doesn't look to see where I'm pointing.
Yes its frustrating, but it seems a bit of a neurological thing possibly? She always did look in the past.
She's got glaucoma but it's treated and only very early stage. Other family members have that and still look where you point.
I asked her yesterday why she wouldn't look where I was pointing, what else could I do I've got my hand up like a lemon, lol (I said it gently) and she said she'd look eventually, that people shouldn't have to jump. I tried to explain that it's an automatic thing usually but she was having none of it.
She's not been the easiest person all my life, but this one I think might be related to some health condition. She's not showing signs of dementia, she's independent totally, though never wants to do a lot but sit and read etc. But I think she's allowed at 77.
Any ideas? I know in autism people often don't point (though not all with autism) and she's never had that diagnosis anyway, but this is different, it's not following where someone is pointing to.
Understanding it will help me deal with it. Thanks for any ideas