Alzheimer's Reading Room Quotes Post One

Bob DeMarco writes the Alzheimer's Reading Room. See link at right.  Bob is taking care of his 94 year old mother.  Here are some of his quotes and that of others from his Reading Room.

• I am saddened when I hear these words --this is not the person I knew -- because those words objectify the person suffering from Alzheimer's. When you objectify a person you also dehumanize them. Once dehumanized the person becomes a villain.
• My mother is still the same person I have known all my life.  She suffers from Alzheimer's disease.  Her brain sends her the wrong signal quite often. Its up to me to let her use my brain.When necessary.....
• Dotty and I would start living our lives as we always had. It took me at least two years of Alzheimer's caregiving to figure out that we needed to start living our life the way we always had. I knew we had to do something or the end was going to come sooner rather then later. Either Dotty was going to drop off the edge of a cliff, or I was going to jump off the edge of a cliff.
• Carol Blackwell quotes someone else in a Reading Room article. “If you face a difficult situation, you have two choices. You can change the situation or, if you can’t do that, you must change yourself to meet the situation.”
• Tom and Karen Brenner are quoted: Pay attention; look at the faces of the people you love, listen to the music of your life, feel the wind on your face, taste the ice cream. These moments are like jewels, strung on the necklace of time. If we lose these small jewels of life, we lose ourselves.
• Barbara Pursley writes about taking care of her mom who has Alzheimer's:  The essence of my being is constantly changing from happy to sad, from mental order to disorder, from freedom to chaos, from physical energy to fatigue, from hope to hopelessness, from my life to her life to our life. I know people mean well when they say, “Don’t forget you have to have a life of your own, aside from your mom, but maybe what I’d prefer to hear is “I know how difficult it must be caring for your mom and meeting your own needs too, so if there is anything I can do to lessen your burden, please let me know.”

Dear Lord, We are letting You know. Please be with and bless these people who write on the Alzheimer's Reading Room and help them with their challenges.  Thank you that I am learning to bless my husband and enjoy the simple life we have together. Help me to not whine, but to trust You for the challenges ahead this month. Thank you that the expert plumbers are here. Amen.