I have and it was heartbreaking. If I were to give only one word of advice, it would be to find a support network or group outside of the rest of your family, regardless of how hard it is to give yourself time away from your loved one's care. Support helps. Many others have been through this before you. I never did this one simple thing. Hindsight is golden.
I am a 52 year old female who has been taking care of my mother who has Alzheimer's since i was 38 years old. She has been with me in my home and I have witness first hand every stage and symptom of Alzheimer's (also called the long good-bye) that the text book talk about. I have lived through her asking me the same thing over and over again. I have lived through the horrow of coming home, only to find her gone. She had gone to the mailbox to check the mail and kept walking. My family and I have witness the stage of "Sundowner", and found it to be a true sympton. We watched her go through stages of yelling for hours on a daily bases. She has accused my husband and me of stealing her clothes and medicine. We would stay up late at night watching her because she would walke the halls for hours, pacing back and forth. I watched her go from ambulatory to bed ridden. She is now in the latter stages. She is totlly confined to the bed. She no longer talkes, smiles, laughs or cries. I remember when she did. She will very seldom have eye contact with me. I have sacrificed my life to take care of her and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Why? Because I was adopted and I feel I owe her.
Have you watched someone you love struggle with Alzheimer's Disease or a related dementia?
If so, The Enterprise invites you to share your experiences, thoughts, and words of advice with others.
The moment you heard the official diagnosis, watching your loved one lose once-cherished memories, learning how to be a caretaker, the fear of what still is to come - this is your story, and the choice of topics is yours.
