My Race. Our Challenge.
When you told me the other day how my mom is showing signs of agitation, that she resists re-direction, gets into everything, and that she sometimes makes fists and gives dirty looks, I was really thinking – And your point is . . . ? Mom has a brain disease. She has advanced dementia, Alzheimer’s [...]
My family met with hospice yesterday and my mother qualifies for care under the diagnosis of “debility,” also known as failure to thrive. It’s my understanding that mom didn’t qualify under “dementia” because she can still walk. When you look at my mom you wouldn’t think she’s ready for hospice, but when you put everything [...]
My mother, who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease, had a grand mal seizure last Thursday that left her unconscious and earned her a trip to the hospital. She’s back home and appears to be recovered, but she’s declining rapidly and we’ve been advised to contact hospice. It’s been suggested that my mom has less than 6 [...]
The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2013 Facts & Figures Report came out yesterday. It’s not good. Unlike other disease with decreasing numbers that are being managed or cured, Alzheimer’s disease has growing numbers without a cure or the ability to manage the disease. Quite frankly, I don’t have the energy to get into what we need to [...]
My brother-in-law shared this inspirational video of Pat Summitt, who recently retired as Head Coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols, due to her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Now I’m not a basketball fan, and I don’t know much about Pat Summit other than what I’ve just learned, but I like her. As you’ll see [...]
In “Mom Update: February 2013″ I wrote about how quickly mom’s disease is progressing and how it might be something in addition to or instead of Alzheimer’s disease. Oh we’ve been calling it Alzheimer’s disease, but the truth is — we don’t know what mom has. Mom had an MRI in 2006 that ruled out [...]
There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings, given to us to learn from. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross “I think your mom has about a year,” is all I remember from my first visit with mom last week. I didn’t get a chance to ask questions until our Care Meeting on Wednesday, but by [...]
Next Saturday I fly from the cold state of Virginia to the freezing cold state of Minnesota. With one friend going to Puerto Rico this month and another on a Caribbean Cruise, I can’t help but wonder if I have it backwards by heading north. But this is what it’s come to — my airline [...]
September 2012 -- Mom and I in the backyard of her Assisted Living Home, 7 years after her diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease.