ALZHEIMER'S BLOGGING:

When my sister in law called us to tell us that she could no longer live with dad, and she was thinking of putting him in a nursing home, is when we decided we were the ones who had to move. I have nothing against nursing homes. I use to work in one as a nurses aid, and I took care of a hall way full of patients every day. But I was only one person for all these people, and I bathed them, helped them brush their teeth, put them on the potty, made their beds, got them dressed and even helped some of them eat. I am not complaining of the work I did, but I am complaining about not being able to give each of them enough of my time. So it was a very easy decision for us to make.

We quit our jobs, and switched high school for my youngest child. We learned from day one after moving in that Alzheimer's suffered not just long-term memory loss but also short-term memory loss. The next morning I found Dad sitting in the living room, looking at all the boxes. With sad eyes he looked at me and said, "Hey lady, what are you doing with all my stuff? I put my hard work and sweat into this place and now I see a truck in the driveway and my stuff in boxes." I tried to explain to him that the boxes were full of our stuff, and that we were moving in. Jimmy even opened a couple of them to show Dad. But Dad was confused and set on the idea that we were packing him up.

It hurt to see the man who I had admired and looked up to for so many years, who took care of me and my family in countless situations, appear so helpless and confused. I was just glad that I was given the opportunity to try and return his kindness, and try to provide the quality of life that he deserved.

I have recently been talking to a Mr Douglas Lowell, the president of find a cure panel. They focus on research for Alzheimer's Disease. Please check out this website:
www.findacuretransit.com

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