I walk and volunteer in honor of my father, who lived with dementia for ten years. When my father first showed signs of dementia, I made a small box for him filled with tiny rolled papers. Each one, wrapped with a red ribbon, was a treasured memory from our lives together. There was no way to change the course of his condition, no way to stop the inevitable. The box was simply my way of saying, I know one day you might not remember but I do. I’ll remember for you. Whether he remembered or not, those events happened. As long as I remember, they exist. 

Dementia is challenging for everyone involved. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the sadness of it, by the loss of someone you love while they are still physically with you. When my father was alive, his dementia cast a shadow in my thoughts. A cloud that was always there. When he died after ten years with the condition, wonderful memories flooded my mind like they’d suddenly been set free. I have created a website called Remember for Me. It is a place to let memories live not hidden by the cloud of dementia but, for just a moment, free. I am honored when anyone goes to the website and shares a memory for a loved one. 

www.remember-for-me.com

D. Liebhart