"I'm not an expert on Alzheimer's disease, but I am an expert on loving someone who has it." – Lauren Dykovitz
I see you, Alzheimer’s Daughter, trying to smile through the pain. I know how much it hurts. You feel as if both of your parents have just disappeared, vanished into some other world. Alzheimer’s World. They are gone forever. Only they’re not really gone. They’re still alive and, maybe, they live just a few miles … Continue reading I See You, Alzheimer’s Daughter
I opened up my Facebook memories this morning to see pictures from my bridal shower, which was around this time eight years ago. In one of the pictures, I’m sitting in a chair, opening gifts, and my mom is standing behind me, looking absolutely clueless. She was about a year into her Alzheimer’s diagnosis at … Continue reading Forgive Yourself for What You Didn’t Know, When You Didn’t Know It
When I was about eight or nine years old, I saw a Mother’s Day ad for Boscov’s that claimed you could buy your mom a beautiful gold locket for just $0.99. Holy crap! Just $0.99?! I immediately decided that I wanted to get my mom that locket for Mother’s Day. I was so excited to … Continue reading Mother’s Day for the Motherless
Do you ever stop to think about when was the last time your loved one did something? When was the last time you took your mom out to lunch or to go shopping? When was the last time your dad came over your house to fix something? When was the last time your wife cooked … Continue reading Here’s Why Losing a Loved One to Alzheimer’s Is so Hard
The following is a guest post written and submitted by Jeannine O'Neil. One day, I was listening to music on YouTube and Lady Gaga’s song “The Cure” popped up. I stopped and listened to the words. “If I can't find the cure, I'll I'll fix you with my love No matter what you … Continue reading The Power of Love
As most of you know, I moved away from my parents for my husband’s job about a year ago. The past year has been quite an adjustment for me, as I was used to seeing my mom a few times a week and now I only see her a few times a year. It has … Continue reading Feeling Helpless
My mom went all out for St. Patrick’s Day in 2009. She started planning it weeks ahead of time and invited all of us over to have ham and cabbage that night. I remember thinking how random it all seemed. Sure, we were a bunch of Mc’s, but no one had ever made a big … Continue reading A St. Patrick’s Day Lesson
What has Alzheimer’s taught me? I’m not even sure where to start. For one thing, Alzheimer’s has taught me that family is everything. When I was in high school and college, all I really cared about was spending time with my friends. I was always so afraid of missing out on something. I’d say that’s … Continue reading What Has Alzheimer’s Taught You?
This morning I went for a nice four-mile run. I changed my route a little bit, as I’m still having fun exploring the different areas around my new home. I ran around a large pond that I’ve driven by several times, but had yet to run in that direction. I saw several sandhill cranes and … Continue reading Two Parallel Lives
I had the best Facetime call with my mom yesterday afternoon. It was an absolute gift. But, it didn’t start out that way. My dad is supposed to have in-home coverage on the weekends, but that has been a real crapshoot, especially recently. You can read my blog post The Problem with Home Health Care … Continue reading Keep Showing Up