Giving up on skills

DW was diagnosed with EO in late 2021. She was probably late stage 4 at the time. We are now early stage 6. In the early stages, seeing DW lose skills was hard. I found myself pushing on her, trying to coach her in remembering how to use the washing machine, dishwasher, or where the clean clothes get put away. Later it became easier to notice when a skill is being lost and just accept it without struggle. However, on rare occasion, I see her attempting a skill that was long since lost. It is startling to see her try to do something she has not even attempted in over a year or more; trying something that needs to be done and is part of normal living. Sometimes she will say something to me, or laugh at a joke on TV that makes it seem for a moment that she has an awareness that is well beyond what anyone would expect given her late stage condition.

The way the disease progresses is so odd.

The hard part is seeing the evidence that she is still in there, and trying to fight back. The disease is winning. Its victory is inevitable, yet she fights back nonetheless.