“When I learned Covid-19 was running rampant in local eldercare facilities I wondered, ‘Was this the ‘out’ I had been long praying for?’ I determined that yes, yes it was.”
‘I want my mom to die from Covid-19. I hope this virus is the end for her. It occurred to me as I jumped up and down, waving my arms like a lunatic.’: Woman hopes mom with Alzheimer’s ‘doesn’t die alone’
‘Who are you? I don’t know you and I’m really scared,’ she said, shaking. She was crying now. I was her baby, her best friend.’: Woman shares painful Alzheimer’s journey, ‘Nothing prepares your heart for the day your mom doesn’t know you’
“That morning, I picked up my mom for a routine dental cleaning. As usual, she was happy to see me. Nothing stood out as odd. She joked with the receptionist about me and walked out the door with a smile. As soon as the sunlight hit her face, she turned to me. ‘You never told me.’ ‘Told you what?’ I asked. ‘Who you were.’ All in a couple of seconds, I realized this was very real. She was terrified and begged, ‘Take me home.’ I soon realized ‘home’ was her childhood house. My mind was racing.”
‘Sadie is 3. The clock will turn back. Each minute, we’re closer to the dreaded day she begins regressing.’: Newborn diagnosed with Childhood Alzheimer’s, ‘she is the greatest tragedy and blessing’
“Sadie’s birthday was such a bittersweet day. We saw all our hopes and dreams vanish. She is so smart, but we know this will all change soon. Before Sadie was born, we dreamed of her playing sports, helping her get ready for prom, college, and her dad walking her down the aisle. Today, we dream our sweet girl lives past the age of 14. We knew we had to fight this.”
‘She slipped her small frame into my son’s skinny jeans. It was cute, but sad. My heart broke.’: Woman details mother-in-law’s journey with Alzheimer’s, ‘her mind and body are slipping away’
“In a matter of months, she began to rapidly decline. Mild confusion turned to disorientation. We witnessed her turn into a shell of who she once was. She no longer recognizes us. It has been gut-wrenching to watch her be so unaware of herself and her surroundings, especially for a woman who, in the past, wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of being seen without her hair properly curled.”
‘Who are you and what are you doing in my house???’ She’d get sad. ‘I feel like I’m in prison.’: Caretaker befriends elderly woman with Alzheimer’s, ‘Just love them, they never forget how to love’
“I would re-introduce myself every 5 minutes. ‘I am your new friend. We are going to spend the day together!’ She would smile. ‘Thank you for being here.’ She’d tell me about her first love and all the trips she’s taken. Then all of a sudden, she’d backtrack. ‘All the men I loved were in the war, and none of them came back.’ She’d forgotten so much, but whenever I’d say goodbye, she always thanked me.”
‘Someone’s sitting here.’ I froze. ’Mom, it’s ME. Lauren.’ Her cheeks became red with embarrassment.’: Young woman’s emotional journey with mom’s Alzheimer’s, ‘It’s like mourning someone who is still alive’
“I said, ‘I love you,’ and she didn’t say it back. You lose so much of the person along the way that by the end, you are practically begging for them to die. But at the same time, you dread the thought of it. I say, ‘See ya later,’ and she says, ‘Alligator.’ You can’t tell me she’s not still in there.”
‘Where is my wife?’ An old man turned a corner and put his hands on my shoulder, tears in his eyes.’: Woman comforts distraught stranger with Alzheimer’s, ‘kindness costs nothing’
“I jumped up. My first instinct was to get angry and ask him to please not touch me. Then I noticed something. The man was crying. ‘Do you know where my wife is? I’ve been looking for her.’ He was now shaking and crying softly. I was thinking maybe he lost her in the aisles. Hasn’t everyone lost someone this way? I was wrong.”
‘My dad had an appointment with a funeral home director. It feels like a betrayal.’: Dad goes funeral home shopping for wife dying of Alzheimer’s, daughter feels guilty, ‘It feels like I’ve given up on her’
“There were several times this week my mom said something about death, dying, a funeral, or a body. One time, she actually said, ‘He’s just going to throw my body in the water.’ Does she know something?”
‘Well the doctor said I am crazier than him!’ Grandma exclaimed with a look I couldn’t quite place.’: Granddaughter learns important lesson in caring for elders, ‘I didn’t know it then. Everything ends.’
“4 months after I had the baby, Grandma passed away. My kids learned to honor the elderly. They learned to put someone else’s needs above their own. They soaked in the last possible days with people that spent a lifetime pouring into all of us. For that, I have no regrets.”
‘I was scared of losing my mom. I was 12. I didn’t want anyone to think I was trying to get attention.’: Daughter suffers in silence after mom’s cancer, Alzheimer’s diagnoses, says ‘your struggle doesn’t make you weak’
“I heard her whispering on the phone. It sounded like something was going on, but she was trying to hide it. I was completely caught off guard. She had found a lump in her breast. I immediately asked her if she was going to die. I never told anyone about any of it.”
