Thankful Heart

I'm thinking about Alzheimer's. I'm thinking about how my Dad's stage in this process is different from many and yet the same as most. Dad's progression with Alzheimer's is ever so slow. I think it has been so slow, that Dad has known he was getting Alzheimer's and knew what that process meant in many ways. I also believe that for my dad, he has always been a happy person, a true soul, a giver. I think it has made a difference in his disease. With medicine, he was brilliant because it never bothered him to say he didn't know something. And he always knew when he needed to know more. As I watch him each day, I see slight changes in all his abilities. His walk is much, much slower. It is a shuffle most of the time. He doesn't want to exert energy to do certain tasks, such as getting up out of his chair, or getting dressed, or even walking to the bathroom. He sits to eat, and eats way too fast, pocketing food in his cheeks. He does clean his mouth out, along with his teeth. He is less and less engaged with things around him; the books, newspaper and magazines. He drifts more and more to his recliner, and sleeps more and more. He has more episodes where he says things repetitively, such as "mini, mini, mini, mini, mini." He knows us less and less. But it also amazes me how brilliant my dad is with his Alzheimer's Disease. It's like he keeps hanging on in there, reaching us in every way he can. What a sad disease. What a sad, sad, disease. Our family is so fortunate that Dad is still happy and still tries to be happy. When things happen, like today, I was changing his depend in the bedroom and he started peeing on the floor, you just have to realize that this is part of that whole process. My mom went through lots of the process of Dad's dementia. I think back now about how it really wore on her. Dad use to take his truck over to his friend's houses. My mom loved it because it gave her a break! When Dad got to where he was having trouble getting home, Mom knew it was time for her to take his license. That was hard, not just for my dad, but also for my mom. I wish I had known to give my mom one day a week to care for Dad. Just a break. That's why I'm thankful this holiday season for my family and friends and all the support they give me as a caregiver..... Susie