Alzheimer's, The long goodbye....
Hello dearest family and friends. I want to apologize for not thinking of this website earlier. I know there are quite a few of you who are wondering how Mom is doing. I will try bringing everyone up to speed and then continue to send updates on her , if you like. If you are not aware, Mom has developed Alzheimers. We have suspected that something has been going on for quite some time. She was given a CAT Scan to make sure there were no obvious blockages or tumors and none were found. We kept pursuing the issue with her regular doctor and back in April, aboutl 2 years ago he truly said the “A” word out loud to us and Mom. ALZHEIMER’S
I truly believe she had it back in 2008 when she got lost coming to my house in Peoria, but even before that, she forgot the Anniversary of Daddy’s death. The most scary of course, was the night that Steven called and said he had no idea where she was. She was out in her car and she didn’t have her phone on her. It was dark out, and the Phoenix temperatures were hot...even at night. I immediately called the police and thankfully she was found somewhat far from home, dazed and confused, but safe. She was lost for over 7 hours. It was at that time the police basically said she cannot be driving and took her license away. Thankfully that decision was taken out of our hands. Interestingly, she didn’t fight too much. Part of me wants to think she maybe was a little scared of driving, but too stubborn to give up that privilege.
We tried, Trish, Mom and I, as a family, to honor her wishes of staying in her home. We actually contacted a Social Worker, through the Alzheimers Association to discuss options about keeping her at her home. Trish ordered an Identification bracelet that she luckily kept on her at all times. We got her a cell phone to keep on her at all times. Trish and I would tag team calling her in the mornings and evenings trying to remind her to take her meds., what did you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Trish would take her grocery shopping and watch what she would buy, but to no avail. She was losing weight her medicines were not being taken properly. She was getting bitten by her dog, because she was obsessing about feeding him. Her own personal hygiene as well as the up keep on her home were deteriorating horribly.
The most scary situation had yet to come to our attention.
Of course you all know Mom. She is the kind of lady that runs around with her hair on fire. She cannot sit still. We had noticed that she was losing interest in her passion of quilting. She would always have problems with the machine. Trish and I would then discover that the machine was threaded incorrectly, even though we would leave the instructions out or the wrong kind of bobbin was put in. Around that time is when she would go for walks. She would take her dog, and in her frail state, would sometimes fall or her dog would get into an altercation with another dog.
Then she started wandering off by herself. Miles away from home. Sometimes Steven would find her. One time some good Samaritans were kind enough to drop her off at home. Steven has said that he has luckily found her every time she would wonder from home. Trish found her the last time 2 1/2 miles away from home looking for another dog that she didn't have; improperly dressed for the temperature, no purse, no identification, no phone, no water. Just a piece of rope looking for a mysterious dog. As Trish was bringing her home, she drank a whole bottle of water. Steven was out and had no idea that Mom was even gone. It was at that time we knew something needed to be done.