If I ever break character here, it is serious. Many who have followed for the last few years know my mother has Alzheimer's Disease. To make a painful, long story short, her diagnosis led to a part of myself dying as well. Anyone who has faced this insidious creature of a disease knows the certain layers of heartbreak that go with the inevitable decline. My mother is not in any pain, but as my family makes certain decisions, may I be in your thoughts and prayers. To be honest..knowing that I must make decisions to put my mother in assisted living is breaking my heart, and I can not see the keyboard through my tears. May none of you go through this, but if you do...hopefully a guy like me can find some way to make this better in the future. Somebody has to. This is simply awful.
6 comments:
My thoughts and prayers are with you Brother. I worked in senior care for the last 8 1/2 years.
That disease is very hard on any family. I tried to keep myself from getting too attached to the residents, even that wasn't enough to keep from feeling that pain of the family and a suffering soul.
In fact 4 residents there were parents of former class mates, that's really hard, in my case impossible from not getting attached. Peace Brother
Thank you Tim. As I am finding out many have crossed the bridge we are now crossing. I hope that maybe someday I can repay the emotional support debt for all who are helping us and will help us in the future. Right now it just really hurts..
My advice to you Bill is to be by her side in any way that is possible.
It is no secret that I was an almost daily sight to my mother for the last 10 years of her life(thank God that we lived so close).
It was not easy living with my late stage dementia mother, but the times that she would just look at me and say...I love you...were worth every day. Now you got me tearing up!
And since we have broken bread together, and shared so much about life..I appreciate your support and wisdom. Know that it is appreciated..
I've been thru this ordeal also. It's so hard to see your loved one lucid one minute and slip off to god knows where the next. I kept a good sense of humor to deal with this. Also I was comforted by the fact my farher was not in pain.
Thank you 'Daily Reader.' I saw the 'pain' part when I watched my mom's mom and die in their 60s due to lung cancer from extreme over smoking. To be honest, I have had to put an emotional scab over their losses during an important developmental stage in my life. As we discuss these issues, there is a common theme. We need more research, we need more, qualified, health care providers and we, as the 'secondary victims' need to stop bickering over political BS and come together again as a human family under anyone/everyone's God. May we somehow get stronger...together. Peace.
Post a Comment