Comments on: Lives Too Easily Forgotten

By: Andy Heller

Andy Heller — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:47:58 +0000

Christopher, this was a very touching peice. I have a situation now with a loved similiar to this and its very hard. You are very correct, these people must be remembered in this world and the next.

By: The Other Christopher

The Other Christopher — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:19:53 +0000

Amen brother! Amen!

By: TennesseeTuxedo

TennesseeTuxedo — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:33:06 +0000

Thank you for shedding some light on the reality of living with loved ones who have been robbed by Alzheimer’s.

Our loved one’s have earned and deserve respect and dignity. Alzheimer’s may have robbed them of their past and present, but it does not take away the memories and love we have shared with them.

Thank you for reminding myself and hopefully others that we owe a great debt to those we love for having loved us.

By: Judy Kellaway

Judy Kellaway — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:17:09 +0000

It is quite an experience. I have been visiting my mother in her Alz. facility for over 2 years twice a day without fail.(long story) My father, who lived 80 miles away killed himself in December. He did not visit very often but when he did, he mostly spent the time fighting back tears. I believe his seeing all of the patients and my mom just tore him up. He visited less and less. He just couldnt take it.
I have seen so many come and go. Ones you think are doing ok suddenly pass, others real bad that just hang on….
So many differences and yet the same. I have seen the progression of the disease and most times it is so difficult to wrap my mind around. One woman calls help all the time–it is hard to hear and see that no one helps but if you stop to “help” her she cant tell you what she wants–you simply cannot understand her–the words are there but they don’t go together.
Another woman who has another “form” of dementia basically just babbles–da,da,da on and on but looks at you like its a normal conversation. Most of the other patients don’t like her–they tell her to go away, but sometimes she will be walking down the hall hand in hand with someone, doing her “da, da,da” and the other person having a completely different conversation but they are just walking along like they know what is going on.
It is simply amazing and hard to put into words how this disease looks from this perspective.
Sometimes I want to scream at people on the outside–”you have got to see what is going on in there”, it is hard to describe and someone who hasnt seen it cant really understand. I too thought of One Flew over the cuckoos nest.
Just wanted to let you know I understand, thank you. Judy

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:52:22 +0000

Thank you for writing this. You wrote a lot of the words that were in my heart but my heart is too sad to let them out yet.