By Larry Peterson
My wife,
Marty (Martha) has Alzheimer's Disease and I am her primary caregiver. Since November, 2016, is
National Family Caregiver's Month sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, I
thought I would share a slice of an average day she and I experience together.
At the same time I can also leave some links to information about dementia
(there are many kinds--Alzheimer's is just one) and give a
"shout-out" to all the millions of Americans across the country who
are caregivers.
Until
Marty actually became an unpredictable, uncertain and sometimes obsessive Alzheimer's
victim, I did not understand Alzheimer’s Disease. I thought I did but I did
not. Meeting folks at the Alzheimer’s Caregiver meetings allowed me to learn
that what I write here is not unique to me. It is more or less part of the norm
within an Alzheimer home and I am just one of a vast multitude of caregivers living
alongside this illness.
 |
| Alzheimer Patient--Wikipedia commons |
I never
imagined the confusion and fear that slowly and relentlessly fills the
vanishing mind of the person under attack by the Alzheimer demon. I never knew
until I shared her physical world. I wish I did not have to know. What follows is
a brief conversation that Marty and I had last evening. She was sitting on the
sofa and it was about 6:30. I had just walked in from the other room. The
conversation went like this:
"Oh,
I'm so glad your back home. Are you going to stay here?"
Not
having been anywhere, I was caught a bit off guard. I answered, "Uh--um--Of
course I'm staying."
"Do
you have any of your things here?"
I reply, "Why don’t you walk
back to the bedroom and check the closet."
She sighs
and smiles. She is faking because, even though she has lived in the same house
for many years, she has no idea where the bedroom is located. She tries to “play it off’ because she doesn't
want me to know that she doesn’t know. But I do know and she knows I do.
So I nonchalantly
point and say, "Back
that way, where the big bed is."
She
shakes her head and says, "Oh, of course, sometimes I don't know where
my head is."
I simply
say, "That's okay. No problem."
"Well,
are you going to sleep here tonight or go to the other place?"
There is no other place and I have no clue where
her mind has taken her. I just go along.
And then
it is temporarily over and the evening continues. More is on the way such as telling
me she really wished she did not have to work tomorrow even though she has not
worked for almost ten years. You get the idea.
For the
caregiver it is a two-edged sword. You are watching someone you love, mentally
evaporate while at the same time trying your best to be as patient and as kind
as you can be to that person. As the caregiver it can sometimes be a bit
overwhelming. Redundancy can push your patience levels to extreme borders. As
Marty's caregiver I can say, unequivocally, that my greatest strength comes via
my Catholic faith. I lean on it like a man with two broken legs needing
crutches. Without them--well, I would fall hard and often.
There are
many types of dementia but Alzheimer' is the primary
cause. Vascular dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease,
Mixed Dementia and others are a few conditions on a long list of illnesses that
cause dementia. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease and it continues to worsen
as time goes by. There is no remission or leveling off. Eventually the patient
will lose the ability to even carry on a simple conversation, or even remember
to use the toilet. The end result is always death. It is truly a dreadful
illness.
I could
go on and on but I have provided several links within this article that will
take you to more detailed information about Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.
As people live longer the illness is seen more and more. More resources have
been allocated for Alzheimer's research. Prayerfully we will find a cure.
Here is a
sidebar to the above: The patron saint of Alzheimer's patients is St. Dymphna. Ironically, St. Dymphna has had a profound
involvement in my family's life. My daughter's middle name is Dymphna. (See
Aleteia for
more). When I discovered that St. Dymphna, the patron saint of nervous and emotional
disorders, was also the patron saint of Alzheimer's and dementia patients, I
could only smile. I love St. Dymphna.
Please
remember to keep all Alzheimer's and dementia patients and their caregivers in
your thoughts and prayers, not just during the month of November, but all year
long.
St.
Dymphna, please pray for them and for all of us.
*This article also appeared in Aleteia on Nov 8, 2016
*This article also appeared in Aleteia on Nov 8, 2016
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