Forgive Me. Several times throughout the book, Reverend G tells her son, “Please forgive me.” As I wrote “The Unraveling of Reverend G” and researched more about this horrid disease, I told my son, “If I get dementia or Alzheimer’s and act weird, I apologize already. Please forgive me. I didn’t want this to happen.” …
During a recent hospital stay, my mother needed extra supervision. So, to give my sister a break from the constant strain of caregiving, I opted to stay with Mom in the hospital. One morning, Mom seemed especially agitated so I asked her, “What’s your favorite Psalm?” “Oh, probably 23,” she said. In my purse, I …
Healthcare professionals emphasize the importance of caregivers taking care of themselves. Reverend G would agree. We can’t sit beside the bed day after day without a respite. We’ll go crazy. We need to take a break. We need to utilize the daycare centers for Alzheimer’s patients and share our struggles with support groups. We may …
Remember. When I grit my teeth, because I’ve told her seven times, “Put in your hearing aid” – remember how she reminded me to wash my hair and brush my teeth. When I have to help her get dressed – remember all the times she dressed me and plaited my hair into braids. When I …
Keep Laughing. We all know the importance of humor and how it helps us stay healthy. Even though dementia and Alzheimer’s represent horrid struggles of memory loss and personality change, we can still look for the humor and keep laughing. My family lives on an Oklahoma farm where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plains …
We sit together in church, my mother holds her Bible – because that is what we do in church. She no longer is able to find her favorite passages nor can she comprehend the Table of Contents that would help her locate, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Yet she is present, because this is a …
Here’s one of the tips Reverend G might tell her loved ones: Don’t Argue with Me. You might wonder…who would argue with Reverend G? But for caregivers who deal with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, arguments sometimes happen. I’ve seen this in my own family. With her paranoia, Mom often makes up the most elaborate stories. …
If Reverend G were writing this blog—and isn’t that a bit weird, b/c she and I really are writing this blog—she would remind us of the 7 Tips for Caregivers. Tip # 1 is “Talk to Me.” When we deal with Alzheimer’s patients, it is easy to forget that a living, breathing human being is …
When life unravels into Alzheimer’s or dementia, it’s important for caregivers to carry survival tools. Over the next few weeks, we’ll examine some of these tools and ways that caregivers might implement them. Today, we’ll look at 7 tips that Reverend G might offer caregivers to keep them in hope and sanity. Talk to Me …
Sometimes writers struggle to find the right titles for their books. They highlight important words, search through a dictionary or wait until inspiration knocks at the door of their creative souls. Finally, amidst weeping and gnashing of teeth – they settle on a group of words that seems to tell their story yet also invites …