ALZHEIMER'S BLOG
Happy 2nd day of January. So the question is how many days will it be before you quit putting 2009 at the end of your dates and remember it is 2010.

Memory loss is one of the major signs we look for in Alzheimer's. I have a wonderful tune I like to remember, and I get so angry at myself when I can't remember it. It was sung to me when I was a teenager by a boyfriend named Greg. And although the infatuation left me about Greg the song stayed in my heart. It is called Mr Bojangles by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

I know that when I have trouble remembering something I am always keeping in the back of my mind, ' Do I have Alzheimer's'.

Forgetting information is an early sign of Dementia. The person seems to forget more often and doesn't recall it later. They seem to forget important dates or events, and ask the same information over and over again. They have unexplainable confusion at home. They may have forgotten a conversation that you just had with them.

But remember that it is normal to forget things. What is not normal is the information not coming back to you later.

I often use to drive with my father in law to pick up Aunt Yolanda and Aunt Ann, and bring the three of them to a nursing home to see Aunt Betty. We would stay for about an hour and visit and than I would bring them to a restaurant for lunch. It was always such a lovely time, even though a lot of the time my father in law would fall asleep while we visited. I will never forget one time when I was driving home, and a truck passed us by. All of a sudden my father in law took his fist and hit the dash. I jumped and looked at him with frightened eyes. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes and told me he wished he could still drive a semi. My heart broke. Did he know what was happening to him? It is hard to say. I can't put my feet in his shoes even though I tried. But it wasn't much after that when he asked me where we were going and why was he in the car.

Being a caregiver is a hard and compassionate job. No one will know what you are going through or how you feel. They will not understand when you feel hurt, or anxious, or even angry. Just remember that to the world you are just one person but to that one person you are their world. I hope this helps someone out there. I am here if you need to make any comments or have any questions. Happy New Year.

Sincerely,
Marie Fostino
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
Seaboard Press an Imprint Of James A Rock Pub., Co.
www.mariefostino.com