She could not be alone

“On my father’s deathbed, he told me my mother was forgetful. I observed her and realized she could not be alone.”

That’s a tough and startling confirmation in what is already a stressful situation. However, it’s not uncommon for spouses to “cover” for another’s forgetfulness or unusual behavior to avoid worrying adult children. Is it love or embarrassment or both that prompts this mask?

"I didn't know much"

“I didn’t know much except that it was a long-term disease.”

Alzheimer’s is a complicated and confusing disease. We hear in the media about promising and not-so-promising research discoveries, and that confuses us more. That’s why families must take the time to educate themselves. Start with the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org

Everybody has days

“Taking so long to complete a sentence. Slow thought process.”

Everybody has days when thoughts are jumbled due to fatigue, tackling multiple tasks, stress and other ordinary factors. There are countless moments when we all forget the right word to express what we want to say. There are times when grammar rules are tossed aside for the sake of simplicity. However, frequent episodes of difficulty in conversation can leave listeners wondering what’s happening.

What becomes unimportant

“Both my mother and sister experienced loss of memory, how to dress as to what color went with another. They giggled when caught doing the wrong thing. They didn’t remember important dates or meetings.”

This description shows how the important and simple things can be “lost” to Alzheimer’s. It makes no sense to the rest of us when somebody forgets how to pick out clothes to wear when they’ve been doing it most of their lives. That’s just one of many things that will become very unimportant in the “priorities of life” list.