Great idea! I’m afraid, though, in my situation, I’d be the one gunned down!

Caregiver needs triple bypass! No eldersitters!

I’m sorry about your mother-in-law, G-J, and especially about all the difficulty her refusal to discuss end-of-life matters caused you. Your post prompted me to ask Mary’s daughter about Mary’s situation, and I […]

Bette, Mary hasn’t been able to go out for months, except for short walks in the dog pen with assistance, but what she likes to do is look through her photo albums and a huge stack of National Geographics. She […]

Ejourneys, I don’t know where you get your psychic and emotional energies, but I find it amazing that you are not totally exhausted. Have you ever seen a curling match? You remind me of the sweeper, but without […]

One interesting thing about scales of dementia is that they so often include the speech criterion. However, I recently read in a dementia textbook that folks with Lewy Body don’t always lose their ability to speak […]

Good post, Jan. It expresses what a lot of must feel at one time or another. I’m so glad you got some time away. Even a few days helps. Just to not have that incessant demand that being a caregiver entails is a […]

Mary and i travel down the same roads often, as well, and I can understand your frustration at the same old, same old. It would be easier to talk about the same stuff if the conversations ended in release of […]

Shorty, this is a bittersweet post. Bitter in that your mother developed dementia in the first place, but sweet in how you can connect with her for brief moments and know that she is still, in essence, your mom. […]

We have just been through a 48-hour period of sundowning, and what your mother said about being tired of the confusion and about not meaning to “be like this” is just what Mary said last night. So rare for her to […]

I agree with all of the above, Jane. You have worked so hard to accomplish what you have, in spite of having crushing responsibilities, that it will be well worth it to take the next steps one at a time so as not […]

Roaringmouse, I am appalled and completely baffled. I have worked with people with syringomyelia and have never encountered a neurosurgeon who ignored the symptoms of his patients like this. There is something […]

Kathy, regarding #1, we had no disruption of services when Hospice was here. We only had one aide and the two daughter visits (they help out when they come) to work around, but Hospice worked around whatever we […]

Funny you should mention it, Old Bill. I just decided that, after 36 hours of a sundowning Mary, I need to get out and splurge on some chicken/broccoli fettuccine Alfredo at our good local restaurant. I’ll have […]

You always say it just right, Bette. As I am dealing with Mary’s second night of sundowning, I definitely feel the intimidation. I hadn’t thought of it like that, but that is what puts butterflies in my stomach […]

Jane, I am so sorry for all the pain you are going through. What feels like a dead end right now will feel like an open door at another time, but right now is what you are dealing with. Don’t punish yourself for […]

Beautiful, Jo. I, too, have been wondering how you have been doing. Love is not only front and center here, but shines through your blogs whatever you are saying.

Oh, I hope you had some good news from the doctor today and that there is something that can be done to ease your husband’s pain. What an awful thing you are both going through. And you must be exhausted, […]

Until you mentioned it, I was not aware that I “tap,” but I guess I do, especially in the bathroom, but I think I give the verbal direction as i do it. I’ll have to monitor that. No point in doing that if I’m […]

O-h. you mean s-l-o-w. I know what you mean about being sucked into it. It’s like a river of molasses that you step into and is hard to pull out of. You have to be a part of it but remain functional. I like your […]