Dad has alzheimer’s, now what?
If you’re anything like me…
the moment your loved one was diagnosed, you realized that the road ahead was completely unknown to you.
You looked everywhere for help as issues crept up that you were unsure how to handle, yet no matter how much you looked, you still felt:
➜ Completely overwhelmed and frustrated
➜ Not sure if you are doing this caregiving thing right
➜ Anxious about what’s to come as the years go by
➜ A longing to connect with others who understand what you are going through.
My friend, you have finally found the place you’ve been searching for.
Let me introduce myself.
I’m Sally, and I have created this space online for you to visit every time you need a little break or a breath of fresh air in a stressful moment. My hope is this will quickly become the place you go to for the balm you need, so you can recharge and go back better and stronger than before!
Here, you are in the right place to gain encouragement and support for the difficult road ahead. I’ll take good care of you!
Here is where my story begins…
Sitting in the exam room with the doctor, I was shocked. Dad couldn’t answer the simplest of questions. It was then an overwhelming feeling came over me. I just wanted to reach over and hug him.
This brilliant man I grew up with—the same man who was renowned among family for his story-telling —couldn’t even tell the doctor the name of the city where he lived.
That day changed all our lives.
He and Mom were living in another state, four hours away, in a community they had called home for 44 years. To say that moving them was a massive ordeal is an understatement!
Their home was a time-capsule and sifting through everything was a constant reminder of the diagnosis and what we were facing ahead. The older items they owned were meticulously organized in filing cabinets and boxes. But, as the decades passed and their minds began to fade, they began keeping more and organizing less.
What I naively thought would be a two-week leave of absence from my job, turned out to be a year long process to downsize their belongings, update and sell their home, resettle them to a senior living community near me and find new doctors.
When it became obvious that my parents needed me more than what I was able to give while working full time, I decided to quit my job and immersed myself in managing my parents’ care.
Without having any prior experience in elder care, or a manual on how to do this right, I have simply answered the call to manage Dad’s care and help him live with dignity through the decline.
Fellow caregiver & friend, if you find yourself thinking:
➜ “It shouldn’t be this hard.”
➜ “Where are my peers on this journey that I can connect with?”
➜ “No one understands what I am going through.”
Then you’re in the right place.
I’ll be your friend supporting and encouraging you, so that your journey with Alzheimer’s doesn’t have to be one you travel alone. I’ll guide you through the many mistakes and successes I’ve faced so that you can learn from my pitfalls, and replicate my triumphs.
I’m on a mission to provide you with what I have been craving - an online community full of support specifically for caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s. I also want to advocate for better policies and services for this vulnerable population so that our loved ones have exactly what they deserve – the very best care possible.
