Alzheimer's: I just wanted to scream, STOP Eating!

I can still remember the day. An experience that told me: you are not alone; it’s all about the disease. An experience that let me know I could learn from the experience of others that came before me. That it would be possible for me to get ahead of the curve and get “mentally” prepared.

I can still remember the day.An experience that told me: you are not alone; it’s all about the disease. An experience that let me know I could learn from the experience of others that came before me. That it would be possible for me to get ahead of the curve and get “mentally” prepared.

Wishing each and every one of you a Happy, Healthy New Year

Dorothy after having too much fun over Christmas.

Bobby and Dorothy wish everyone a Healthy, Happy New Year!

My Mother

This is a picture of my mother Dorothy who is 90 years young, Kristen my mother's granddaughter, and Ryan her greatgrandson.

This picture was taken at the Banana Boat in Boyton Beach Florida, May, 2006.

Why Didn't I Get It?

The signs were there but no one could see them--not even me.


Why Didn't I Get It?

I was talking to my sister one evening and she said to me, “You better call Mom she says she hasn’t talked to you in months.” I laughed and said I talked to her two days ago and for more than an hour. Later in the evening, I decided to call my mother. After she recognized my voice she said, “Well its about time you called.” When I said I just talked to you two days ago she just shrugged it off and we began our usual conversation.
I really don’t know why I wasn’t more concerned at the time but to be honest I wasn’t. And neither was anyone else. The typical comment, “she sounds good to me.” I guess like most people I just accepted the fact that she was getting old. Nobody saw a problem not even her friends who saw her on a daily basis.
Looking back there were plenty of signs. For one thing, she was developing a very negative attitude. But, it seemed when I spent time with her, a few days, she would turn back into her normal self and start to have a more positive outlook on things. Another sign occurred when she began to scrape her feet as she walked. I suppose I should have concluded something but I didn’t. We thought she was finally slowing down. I could go on and on.
Then Christmas came and I decided to take her shopping. To my surprise she could barely walk for five minutes without stopping. In fact, she was almost slumping over. Out of the clear blue sky, or so it seemed, she just couldn’t walk any distance and it was struggle just getting her back to the car. Clearly something was a-muck.
I went to talk to her doctor. Other than her high blood pressure, her heart was fine and her overall blood work was pretty good—more than pretty good for a woman her age. Keep in mind we are talking about an 87 year old woman at the time, a woman who had never had a major illness or operation her entire life. The closest she had come to any of that was when she had an operation on a bunion on her foot.
Yet now for some reason she was no longer able to walk comfortably. I began to notice how she was somewhat unsteady, how she began to reach out and hold on to things as she walked, and how she no longer had an interest in doing anything that required her to walk. Two years earlier this woman, my mother, walked more than a mile round trip with me in New York to eat breakfast.

My Mother the Dynamo

She lived on her own, paid her own bills, and took care of herself.......



My mother at the age of 85 was a dynamo. She lived on her own, paid her own bills, and took care of herself. She had been doing this for more than ten years since the death of my father. She was on her own.

My mother was often spotted walking to the pool in her community. A tiny women the senior citizens all around her marveled. It seemed as if father time had forgotten about her. There was no limit to what she could do. Walk 20 blocks, no problem, you name it. Up at dawn and awake at midnight she was a real dynamo.

My mother was very funny, a real character. She made people laugh and smile. She read the paper and watched CNN, she had opinion on everything and wanted to know your opinion. She was a wonderful person: always welcoming people into her home. She was noted for all of my 50 years for her great Italian cooking. I remember as a kid that all of my friends really looked forward to staying over our house. Donuts, spaghetti and meatballs you name it. Ravioli anyone?

Me? I was there with my mother when my fathered "passed away'; this was when I really started about her longevity, her health. I was thinking about her for years knowing that someday she had to live with one of us (I have a brother and sister). As the years flew by I started to think about it more and more. But she just kept going ang going without a health problem of any kind. Rarely a minor illness. She was the real energizer bunny.

At times, my brother, sister and I had discussions about putting my mother into some kind of "facility". But to be honest, to be honest now, I knew I would never be able to do it. While I had only mentioned it to a few people, I had made a promise to my father not long before he died. I promised him no matter what, I would take care of his wife of 55 years, my mother, our love. Dot. It was not a promise I made haphazardly. I made up my mind about this while we were taking care of my dying father. It seemed as natural to me as breathing. I already knew in my mind and my heart, I was the one.

I knew the day would come. I just didn't know when. Or how.

All American Senior Care

Maybe I Should Have Known

I should have started this three years ago. My, how time flies. I have a lot of catching up to do for sure so just bear with me. Some days I’ll go back to the beginning and tell you our story. On other days I will tell you what is happening on the spot. I’ll vent about my mother. If she is up to it I will encourage her to tell you in her own words what is going on in her head.......


I became a CareGiver before I had any idea that the word existed. It all started back in late 2003 after a series of strange occurrences by my mother. I guess I should have known when my mother ran her car over an abutment and scraped off the entire side of her car on a tree. Me, more than 1000 miles away, I was told the car was not that bad. Two days later and on the scene, I found out the car was totaled. Fortunately, my little tiny five foot tall, 87 year old mother was just fine. At least that is what she and all the doctors told me. While I accepted it at the time I just knew something was not right. And this is where the story about me and my mother begins.
I am just beginning this Blog. If you somehow found me, welcome. Please feel free to say 'hi". If you are a care giver or if you believe you have something to add please feel free to do so. If you have comments make them.
Ok then, this is our story.
Bobby

The Seven Stages of Alzheimer's

Experts have documented common patterns of symptom progression that occur in many individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and developed several methods of “staging” based on these patterns."

You can read this article by following the link
The Alzheimer's Reading Room: The Seven Stages of Alzheimer's