The richness of the human journey is here. Listen. Pass it on. So that there will not pass from our future the enchantment that begins with the honored words, Once upon a time, long ago and far away, in a deep forest, there lived a child - much like you. ` Anonymous
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Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2003. I was in Annapolis at the time, having just moved there in October. Thanks to Enron and 9/11, the job market in my hometown of Houston sucked and I had been laid off of my four-year job as a payroll administrator for a telemarketing company. For three months I looked for jobs that wanted to pay me 25k a year and in desperation I packed up my car and my fat cat and I drove to Maryland in an attempt to find a decent paying job (which I did within a week of my arrival).
Two months after moving 1400 miles away from friends and family in Houston, my mother called to tell me about Gran’s diagnosis. I was devastated. I felt guilty for leaving and moving so far away, I felt helpless and didn’t know how I would or could help. I was shocked that this was happening to Gran… my Grandma, who did the crossword puzzle in the paper every morning, who had taken care of her husband, two children and her one grandchild for years, who painted beautiful oil-paintings, hemmed our pants and sewed like a professional, who loved to travel, loved to chat with people, loved to cook and craft and sew. My beloved Grandma, who had always been my protector, my cheerleader, my champion.
Thus began a long journey that I would like to chronicle in the group I’ve started called “Surviving Alzheimers”. That journey is still in progress and I would like to share some of our experiences in the hopes that it might help other families and caregivers out there. There are many facets to this disease… emotional, physical, mental of course, and financial. Hard decisions are made in the course of living with Alzheimer’s and families are torn apart. My small, once close-knit family was decimated by this disease. The stress on the main caregiver can be enormous and the emotional and financial toll can be devastating, especially if you are not prepared once the Alzheimer’s patient begins to decline in earnest.
I can offer a bit of insight based on the issues and problems my family and I encountered and had to overcome. Mostly, I can offer solidarity with your situation, if you are currently making this journey as well.
And sometimes I think that might be the most important thing of all.