ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND MY MOM –

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND MY MOM –

My mom had the “indicators” of future Alzheimer’s Disease long before it was obvious. That woman could (and would) hold a grudge. In fact, she did for a lifetime. She never forgave anyone that I know of. She was also very suspicious of everything and everyone. She had a difficult time trusting.

Once the now obvious things started happening, we didn’t know what they were. She would make unusual or cruel comments. She would repeatedly try to clean the same spot (that wasn’t dirty). My clue that something was very wrong was when she commented on how she liked a seasonal decoration (that I had owned and displayed for years) and said she had never seen anything like it before. The second year that she did that the puzzle pieces started connecting for me and I knew something much deeper was wrong.

My brother and I started taking notes of the odd things she said and did. We felt that no one would believe us and her husband was in denial. We made a physical list of every off/odd thing that mom said/did. That list was long in no time. Mom did get a diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer’s when she was in her 50s.

Unfortunately, her husband remained in denial until it was too late. Not that she made it easy on him. Part of the disease is paranoia. She was convinced that he was trying to poison her. She went so far as to go to the police to report it. She also said that he was removing her clothing and replacing them with “ugly” clothes that were too big for her (she had lost weight since she wasn’t eating as much due to the poisoning).

My stepfather never really accepted, or maybe I should say acknowledged, her illness. She wound up in a facility after the police were called on her because of her odd behavior at the bank (she was a long-term customer, so they knew her well and knew that something was very wrong). My brother worked diligently, along with her doctor, to convince her husband that she was better off there, where she could (and would) be watched 24/7.

Once she was permanently in the facility, things moved quickly and the disease eventually killed her. Her body forgot how to eat then breathe.

My brother and I were terrified that we would develop Alzheimer’s. My brother died from cancer shortly after our mother passed. I am here, still scared, but I know that whatever happens, it will be okay. I am now in my 60s and do not show any signs like she did. I am grateful for that. Every time I forget something, though, I do have a little panic attack, but I also know that this is part of aging.

Hug those you love while you can!