Stage 6 Alzheimer's
It's a good thing Grandma is confined to a wheelchair, because if she were on foot she would definitely get lost in a matter of minutes. Every time I go to visit her you never know where you are going to find her... in someone else's room, out in the main dining area or stuck in a corner. I am amazed at how well she maneuvers in that thing.
Her swallowing is impaired. It makes me wonder if she is in the last stage officially. I worry all the time about her inability to eat. When she's really hungry she will feed herself, but it's hard for her to swallow. She can't remember how.
The nurses dress her in the morning so she doesn't have to worry about what to wear (not that she does).
This is Alzheimer's everyday. There comes a point in time when you stop thinking that you can hang in there until she forgets you, then it won't bother you so much when she does because you'll still have the memories. I was just thinking the other day I wanted to talk to her about stray cats because there's one around my office that I want to bring home, but am hesitant because the cat is pregnant, and I have no idea what happens with a pregnant cat and how cats have babies (like do they do it on their own? do I need to help? what?)... but Grandma would know because there were a ton of wild cats on the farm that she fed everyday.
A lot of times I just want to tell her things and have her understand.
Her swallowing is impaired. It makes me wonder if she is in the last stage officially. I worry all the time about her inability to eat. When she's really hungry she will feed herself, but it's hard for her to swallow. She can't remember how.
The nurses dress her in the morning so she doesn't have to worry about what to wear (not that she does).
This is Alzheimer's everyday. There comes a point in time when you stop thinking that you can hang in there until she forgets you, then it won't bother you so much when she does because you'll still have the memories. I was just thinking the other day I wanted to talk to her about stray cats because there's one around my office that I want to bring home, but am hesitant because the cat is pregnant, and I have no idea what happens with a pregnant cat and how cats have babies (like do they do it on their own? do I need to help? what?)... but Grandma would know because there were a ton of wild cats on the farm that she fed everyday.
A lot of times I just want to tell her things and have her understand.
posted by H at 12:54 PM
4 Comments:
Holly--Your blog is such a wonderful testament to your Grandmother's loving influence on you. I'm caring for my mother, also with AD, and I found your blog while looking for others who are in similar caregiving situations. I think my mother is still in Stage 5, but on her way. It's beyond tough, sometimes, isn't it? But I think writing about it helps--I know it helps me to read about how others handle it. Your Grandmother is lucky to have you!
Hi Iris,
What a wonderful blog you've created. There are so many stories on the web today, about these very same steps you're taking. There are millions of us.
My father died in January after enduring 11 years of Alzheimer's. It was an awful journey but not without its moments of complete wonder. The last intelligible word he said to me was "remember."
We were so consumed by caring for him, we kept him home in his own bed until the very end, that there was little time to plot a way to fight this disease.
But since he's died, my family and I have started an initiative to do just that. Fight back. If you have the time, please visit our website at www.theunforgettablefund.com. It was built to honor those who travel this hard path, to explain the scientific research taking place, and to build a donation pathway directly into the Alzheimer's lab. I believe the only way to successfully apprehend this disease, the theif that takes our parents from us, is on the molecular level.
Please continue sharing your experience. It makes a huge difference.
Respectfully,
Patty McNally Doherty
I'm so glad that you started this blog. It really helps me to do the same. And you mentioned how hard it is since no one is prepared - I have to tell you that it could be worse. My grandmother has trouble swallowing, can't move by herself, doesn't recognize me at all, and most of the time is horribly upset. Alzheimer's is a horrible disease. But, those of us surviving the aftermath are finding ways to support each other on the web, and I think that's wonderful.
thanks for the post - dad is in stage 2 - he fell and broke both of his arms!
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