Fall
A less happy note. Two of my sisters now have dementia. What I said when I heard the news is not repeatable. I'm the eldest sister and it's my next youngest sister, who is 78, who has rapidly expanding Alzheimer's. In six months she's gone from losing things to not knowing her TV remote from her phone. I knew she was forgetful but it worsened rapidly. I had a long telephone talk with my nephew discussing options. She is still living alone but only three blocks from him. He's been handling her life business for months now. He got her a credit card with a small limit so she can still shop some but not over do it. She once ordered a pile of stuff from QVC and didn't recall doing it, nor did she want any of it. He asked her to come live with him but she's refusing. Her doctor thinks she needs to be in a memory care facility. She still drives but she recently thought her driver's license has expired but she drives anyway which is her lifelong M.O. She managed to shut off the power to her garage so she can't get the door up and the car out anymore which enabled the conversation about whether or not she should be driving.
Last week my 71 year-old sister was told she had dementia and was referred to some kind of a geriatric clinic. I am gob smacked. Neither of our parents had dementia. Nor any of our aunts and uncles. Neither do I. My youngest son told me I was just my usual oddball self but I got tested after the 2nd sister's news and his assessment was correct thankfully. He said he wished I would forget some things.😁
More upbeat, the new son in my son's household seems to be doing OK so far. He's next on the list for a learner's permit. He'll be 16 soon.
Go out tonight and check out the moon. 💙
posted by Celia | October 10, 2022
8 Comments:
I noticed the moon last night. A beauty for sure. Hope that smoke disappears soon.
So sorry to hear about two of your sisters with dementia, Celia. That must be quite a lot to take in. I hope they get the care they need.
Thanks Marie. They will be cared for, that's the upside of a large, loving family.
I am so sorry to hear about your sisters. What a shock that has to be to the family but it is good that the family is rallying around them.
Also sorry about your having to deal with smoke. We had that a while back and it came all the way here from California.
I worry about dementia since it struck my dad, and I seem to be like him in many ways. I have trouble finding my proper nouns when I need them, but they always seem to come back to me a little later. So, I’m hanging in there.
My husband has been diagnosed with Early Cognitive Impairment. His mother had dementia. I am watching, but his seems to be holding steady although anything with a complicated process such as using a map via phone frustrates him greatly. It is tragic and I wonder if your family's situation is more environment than genetics. It might be something worth investigating.
Tabor, this is something I've wondered about environment vs. genetics too. My 78 year sister was a confirmed 'pothead' for several years in her mid-thirties to early 50's. There are studies linking that to memory and cognitive problems with aging. Both she and my other sister have lived in large, polluted cities most of their adult lives.
Oh my gosh! That's awful about your sisters. My mother had a fall during the summer and we were noticing how forgetful she's becoming. The doctors at the ER told me the MRIs/X-Rays did not show any injury except to her hand. I mentioned mom's forgetfulness to her geriatric doctor and she told me mom did have a bit of stroke from that accident. What?!? And there's not much we can do for her. This is scary as her dementia seems to have accelerated. I can imagine the worry you going through. And your sister is living alone??? Oh gosh...
Recently I met my first genuine climate migrants, people from British Columbia who moved to Ontario to escape the annual wildfires and disastrous air quality. I am sure this is going to happen more frequently.
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