Share My Page:

Copied!

Lena's Story

 When my mother, Lena  first began exhibiting signs of memory loss, my siblings and I didn’t recognize it as such. We thought she just wasn’t paying any attention when we would answer her questions and she would ask them again 10 minutes later. I’m sad to say we occasionally snapped and she occasionally cried because of it. It was actually a stepdaughter who lived in another state and came for a visit who told me she felt something was wrong. Once stated, it was easy to see and we were all mortified for not having recognized what was happening sooner; it’s a deadly disease that can sneak up on you over time. She may have been exhibiting symptoms for as much as five to even 10 years before.

 Several doctor and neurology visits later it was determined that she had vascular dementia, mini strokes in the part of the brain where memory is stored. Nothing can be done to correct it; medications only hope to slow down its progress. Shortly after her diagnosis, the state revoked her driver's license based on the doctor’s recommendations and life changed dramatically for all of us. If you’ve never studied something like memory loss and dementia, it can come as a big shock; the things that get lost, get repeated, get destroyed and how to handle it as a caregiver? The stress, the anxiety is huge. Family dynamics can explode and determining best care is a major mystery made so very difficult by all of the governmental and health agency geek-speak.

 Have you ever considered how difficult it would be to make new friends when you can’t remember that you ever met them, even when you see them every day for several years? Have you ever pondered upon happiness and what it means when you can’t remember that you’ve had a good time? Luckily, you don’t remember the bad times either, and yet . . . 

 It has been an amazing journey to learn that memory is not just stored in the brain cells, but also somewhere else. The body, the soul? I can’t say but I know it happens. With enough daily repetition of both comforting words by family members whom she still remembers, or the safe and gentle routines and care of a new place, my mother can actually settle in, somehow recognizing a sense of comfort and safety, even a recognition that “the people here are good,” and, “I’m not unhappy.”

 Today people are living into their 90s and 100s regularly. With all of the memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer's we need more research both to prevent and treat. More education on the early signs both so that people could get treated sooner and also so that families can understand sooner what is going on. Thank you Alzheimer’s Association for what you are doing.

Tammy's Story

Just a year and a half ago, we moved my mom, Tammy,  in with us following a phone call from family saying she was having memory issues. We had lived in different cities prior to the move and would talk on the phone every few days to catch up. On most of those phone calls, I would hear the same stories being retold and had always thought it was because we had gone a few days between calls. After the call from family, I went down to visit my mom and realized very quickly that she was indeed having short term memory issues and decided it would be best to move her to Ocala to live with us. Over the next year we did testing and eventually got a diagnosis for Late Onset Alzheimer’s type dementia. This was a huge shock considering she is only in her early 60s. Looking back, we can see the signs of it creeping in, but at the time, having been uneducated about the disease, we were oblivious. Now that she is retired, she spends her weekdays with us at the nursery, doing what she can to make it look nice for our visitors. If you have visited the nursery in the last year, you likely have met her or seen her sweeping or feeding the squirrels! 

There is a lot that comes with an Alzheimer’s or Dementia diagnosis. Not only are you watching your loved one battle the disease, but you are thrown in to making decisions about the care and well being of your parent sometimes much sooner than you think. Alzheimer’s is unfortunately one of the leading causes of death in the US and funding for research, new treatments, and public awareness of the disease are all crucial to extending the lives of those diagnosed. Supporting the Alzheimers Association means people like Lena and Tammy have a better quality of life, despite their diagnosis.

Share My Page:

Copied!