"I'm not an expert on Alzheimer's disease, but I am an expert on loving someone who has it." – Lauren Dykovitz
Over the last eight years since my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, I have developed a love-hate relationship with the following question, “How’s your mom?” When my mom was first diagnosed, I didn’t really tell anyone and I never wanted to talk about it. But since only a limited number of people knew anyway, … Continue reading Ask or Don’t Ask?
Welcome to Episode 5 of The Life, Love, and Alzheimer's Podcast! If your loved one has Alzheimer's or dementia, then you know what it's like to grieve the loss of someone who is still living. It is not an actual, physical death, but it is still a death. Here are my real, raw, and deeply … Continue reading Episode 5: Grieving Someone Who Is Still Alive
About a year and a half ago, my dad started using a home health care agency to provide in-home care for my mom. I had been a part-time caregiver for my mom off and on for a few years before I finally admitted to myself and others that I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was … Continue reading The Problem with Home Health Care
Welcome to Episode 4 of The Life, Love, and Alzheimer's Podcast! As an Alzheimer’s caregiver, resentment can become an overwhelmingly familiar feeling. We resent friends and family who seem to have disappeared from our lives at a time when we needed them the most. We resent them for not helping out or stepping up to … Continue reading Episode 4: Let’s Talk About Resentment
When I was in college, I always dreamed of moving away from home after I graduated. I never really had a specific place in mind. Just away. During my junior year, I applied to countless internships in the Philadelphia area. I desperately wanted to live and work away from home during my last summer in … Continue reading When Home Is More Than One Place
Those of you who follow me know that I just launched The Life, Love, and Alzheimer’s Podcast last week. I initially had the idea to start a podcast back in May. I spent a lot of time researching podcasts, how to create them, what tools to use, etc. I spent even more time teaching myself … Continue reading Catch-22
Welcome to Episode 3 of The Life, Love, and Alzheimer's Podcast! Who here has ever felt like they're never doing enough to care for their loved one? Probably everyone who is reading this! Guilt is a very common feeling when caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease. It's easy to question whether or not … Continue reading Episode 3: Guilt
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Life, Love, and Alzheimer's Podcast! People often ask me about the first signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's that I noticed in my mom. It can be hard to determine whether the symptoms you're noticing are a cause for concern or just simply a part of normal aging. Listen to … Continue reading Episode 2: The First Signs and Symptoms
Last Christmas, I thought my mom was about to die. She had a bad cold and hadn’t been feeling well for several days. She had a cough and constantly needed to blow her nose. She was tired and weak. All she wanted to do was sleep. She could barely sit up. She would sit there … Continue reading 8 Years and Counting
Breathless. Sweaty. My feet hitting the pavement as the miles tick by. One mile, two miles, three, and then four. I keep going. My hips hurt. My legs hurt. My everything hurts. I resist the urge to look down at my watch. “How many miles do I have left? How fast am I going? I … Continue reading Alzheimer’s Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
