RMBS member Dr. Walter Buck, my friend, posted the photo below on his Facebook page. My mother suffered and passed away with Alzheimers. My mother lost everything she held dear in life, but she did remember me even on her last day on this earth. She passed peacefully away on Oct. 10, 2014 the same month we had both run out of money. I took good care of my mother until she was called home. I find solace in the fact I will see her again sometime in the future.
Two happy memories with Alzheimer’s:
My mother wanted me to buy her a car so she could go driving! I happily played along with my mothers wishes. What type of car do you want mother? Something sporty she would reply. Ok mother I will get right on it.
One day I was told by the staff where she was living my mother was looking for a man! What kind of man are you looking for mother? A firefighter she would reply. My mother was looking through the newspaper and magazines for just the right man.
New 10-27-2020
Did you know Alzheimer’s patients like helping you design Bonsai trees? They do if you ask questions that are easy to answer and there is no right or wrong answer. Does the branch look better this way or over that way? They can answer these types of questions because there is no wrong answer. They like helping and gives them a sense of purpose even if its for a little while. My mother helped me design this small Boxwood in 2013. I used to take trees down to the facility where my mother was living in and the owner allowed me to work on trees in the living room of the small facility. The residents all liked helping me to design a tree. Why not try doing something similar?
New 02-08-2020
Alzheimer’s vaccine could be trialled on humans in two years by Yahoo
New 11-26-2019
Harry Gardner breaks hearts with song for his nan Beautiful song and tribute to his grandmother.
New 08-26-2019
I found this article on Alzheimers to be very useful to me to help understand just where my mother was in her progression. My mother did not show or have all of these symptoms. She did have a majority of them, so it was pretty easy to see how far along she was. The sub-stations are also very useful. There is also an audio version of the article. This article will provide you with time frames for each stage and sub-stages.
CLINICAL STAGES OF ALZHEIMER’S – 7 Stages of Alzheimers Updated 03-31-2021
How did I get here. (?) I searched to see if it was possible to ‘bonsai’ – is it also a verb? – hydrangea. In retrospect it seems like maybe a silly question, but upon landing at your page I saw the alzheimers button and thought it odd. I clicked on it, because dementia is what they said my father had at the end. My mother took care of him in those final months, my sister and I only seeing the progression in snippets – here at thanksgiving, confused, there at christmas, frightened, lost. I dont think we realized what my mother was really facing, facing a husband of forty years whose often stated biggest fear was that he’d ‘lose his mind’- he wanted nothing more than to pass with a head full of 80 years of memories – thoughts, musings, favorite symphonies, poetry, art, and his specialty, the law. His mind was his cumulative entirety – some men build fortresses, cities, nations – his castle was knowledge, curiosity his traveling throne. My mother moved him down to Florida, to hack out some semblance of serenity in an ever darkening life, but it meant that she alone bore witness to the final and wretched progression. My sister and I did not have to see what ‘brain failure’ truly looked like, my mother, in the years that followed, kept those horrors to herself. It wasn’t until I read about your mother, that I really even thought deeply about what his condition really meant – how truly monstrous its effects. I’ve been spending a lot of time with mom in this locked down life, and reading your mothers story, I was overcome with a new and searing empathy, a feeling like the last pieces of a heart breaking in slow motion, falling into the void – a realization, an understanding, and an ache of near-insurmountable breadth and depth. This post has brought me closer to my mom than Ive been in years. I did NOT scroll by this message. It touched me, moved me, shook me, and brought painful but much needed clarity. Thank you for sharing it.
Your very welcome. I created this page for sole purpose of trying to help others who might have a loved one with this dreaded disease. As of today 1,763 people have visited this page and I hope it has helped a great deal of them. I know your father has gone home and has been made whole again and you should rejoice in this. But it is your Mother that needs your and your sisters love right now. Being a care giver is truly a hard job and it does take its toll on a person. Your Mother is just as much a victim as your Father was. The ups and downs a caregiver goes through are mentally exhausting not to mention physically exhausting to. Be sure to thank her for taking such great care of your Father and how much you love her every day. Treasure the time you have left with your Mother and do the things that make her happy in life. Peace MH
As of today 3,818 viewers have visited this page since it was posted. I hope the information on this page was useful to them. On the good side they are doing trials now on vacines to protect and maybe even reverse the effects in already damaged brains. MH
I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s. It was awful beyond words. Your mother was very lucky to have you in her life.
Gerry, I am so sorry about your mother. Your right it is awful to sit back and just watch because you can do nothing to herlp except make them happy when you can! M
The above tree is no gone, just like my mother. i have had severe stroke and know hat it is like to suffer! The ” ” is missing no , on the keyboard. It is hard to type ith one finger!