ALZHEIMER'S BLOGGING:

Phoenix Arizona is known for its sunny days and hot summers. I have never seen more beautiful sunrises and sunsets, well except in Hawaii. It has been unusual the last couple of days with rain. It has been raining on and off now for two days and the weather man states it will be raining a few more days. We really need the rain, but it is a luxury that we usually don't get.

As I sit here listening to the rain I think about a beautiful day in September 2002, when I took dad to the Chicago Zoo. I have not lived with him very long and I wanted to just enjoy some time with him. We already noticed that it was hard for him to walk very far, and already rented a wheel chair so I brought it with. It was so beautiful to see the city buildings outlining the zoo. Dad was enjoying the stroll at first but than he started to get crabby. He would say things like, "Lady, I hope you know what your are doing?" or "We have to get back." So I decided to get him some lunch and once he ate he was in a much better mood. I pushed him around some more and slowly worked on getting him interested in the animals. Then he had to go to the bathroom. With the help of a stranger we accomplished this deed. I took him across Lake Shore Drive to the beach and wheeled him down the whole strip. It was so beautiful to hear the waves and feel the wind against my face. Dad just sat and enjoyed the view and the ride until he had to go to the bathroom again. I walked him back to the zoo, only to discover that all the wheelchair-access bathrooms were closed. Dad was mad because I would not let him walk down stairs to go to a bathroom. He began yelling at me and telling me that he fought for our country and now he can't even find a bathroom. I got lucky and found a gentleman to push his wheel chair into a wooded area to let him get relief. After that he was calm again and forgot that incident ever happened. I drove him home and he took a nap in the car and didn't remember anything about the day.

What I have discovered is these memories keep dad alive. I lost dad to Alzheimer's but I keep the wonderful memories of the man he was always in my heart.

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