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Caretaker Stories: Feeling Guilty

I’ve been composing this post in my head since I read about the Utah State University study on the relationship between caretakers and Alzheimer’s patients. I was one of the primary caretakers for my grandmother — who among other health issues has Alzheimer’s disease — for the better part of three years. It’s hard, frustrating, stressful, exhausting work, and eventually I had to stop. I packed up and moved across the country to have a fresh start in a new place, surrounded by friends. And left my mother doing the majority of my grandmother’s care. When I was still there, … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Crying on Christmas

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For people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, routines are very useful. Breaking the routine can cause stress and confusion for the patient and the caretakers. The holidays have been especially tough for my grandmother and the rest of the family. Christmas is a big change from the normal routine, from decorations around the house to braving the stores and wrapping the presents. For someone who doesn’t remember what time of year it is, thinking it’s summer and seeing a decorated tree can be a shock. Looking back, I think Christmas 2006 was really the point when I became … Continue reading →

Caretaker Stories: Moments of Lucidity

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Friends and family who have experienced the progression of Alzheimer’s disease say that things get a lot easier once the person with the disease stops remembering. I can definitely see how that can be the case. People with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease are often combative and difficult to deal with. As example, I offer my own experiences as caretaker for my grandmother. In the early days of the disease, she was very defensive about gaps in her memory. If she couldn’t remember something, it was because nobody had told her. Sometimes, her brain would come up with a … Continue reading →