Periodically I’ve been blogging about my journey as a caregiver for my mother, who lives with us and has Alzheimer’s.
The highlight of this past week was when I was preparing dinner and mom wanted to set the table. I handed her the plates, forks and knives, and continued preparing dinner. In a few minutes I looked at the table and Mom had successfully placed the plates and utensils, but instead of napkins, we each had 4 sheets of toilet paper neatly laid by each plate. It was such a precious moment that all I could do was giggle.
David and I started attending a course called “The Savvy Caregiver”. The course is hosted by Sooner Hospice www.SoonerHospice.com (405) 608-0555, and the Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma www.alz.org (405) 319-0780. It will be a 6 – 8 week course and we’ve been to 2 sessions so far.
It was so comforting to know that one of the employees from Sooner Hospice had a parent die from Alzheimer’s and the other employee was currently providing for a parent in the hospice stage of Alzheimer’s.
There was only one other “student” in the course the first day whose mother is suffering from Alzheimer’s. We enjoyed the intimidate environment and immediately felt like we could share our experiences and our concerns.
One of the things they stressed was to always remember Alzheimer’s is a disease. Mom’s forgetfulness, inability to process, and behaviors are things we can’t change or control. I liked what Moya, one of the facilitators said, was “there will always be a first time that your loved one will do something for the last time”. She said one day Mom will know how to walk and the next day, not know how to walk and will never walk again.
I’m looking forward to learning more about being a caregiver and how I can make Mom’s life comfortable and meaningful.
It’s amazing the way your family cares for your mother. It’s also heartbreaking to know that one day she will just “not” be able to do something. Your such an inspiration.