I wrote this essay to help others after losing my father to a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

I like that essay. So true…

One thing that a lot of our LO's have is the anosognosia. In their world, it's all good. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to deal with the fallout.

one example: MIL has an idea of what year it is - around 1970 something… She's fine with that. It has been rather cold this December of 2024 - she says it is a rather cold springtime. We have to make her wear her winter coat to the doc instead of just a sweater.

So - I do agree with you. 'this' robs our LO of so. very. much! But it is us who can help them keep their dignity. and we grieve, because we miss who they were.

Darren,

You wrote a good essay. Reading this early on is so important, so I will encourage others to read it as early as possible, before they start to experience the problems first hand.

Like forbarbara, I had to wait to read your essay. I wept when I read it.

My father died from Alzheimer's in 2019. We had been estranged for years. I did not get the opportunity to reconcile with him, something I will always regret. My mother is now in a memory care facility 1,000 miles away with Stage 6 Alzheimer's. She no longer knows I exist. She is in hospice care. My husband is in late Stage 7 Alzheimer's with other co-morbidities, in hospice care and living in an assisted living facility. He was not diagnosed until after a stroke in June 2023. By then he was already in Stage 6. I was his sole caregiver without an emotional support network of my own. Like your mother, the diagnosis was a devastating shock. My physical health suffered greatly, and I came dangerously close to a psychiatric breakdown. I still struggle at times as I watch the essence of this wonderful man disappear like vapor, leaving only the husk of the physical body behind to linger (for how much longer?) until God calls him home. When I think I have grieved as much as I possibly can, I realize that the grief of finally losing him physically will be even greater.

Your essay should be required reading for healthcare providers everywhere and for the loved ones of the newly diagnosed. I wish I had known all that you wrote 15 years ago.

Thank you for sharing your journey.