Such was the case with my father. He was the most mild, gentle, and
good-natured man I have ever known. For example, the only time I ever witnessed
a "dust-up" between him and my mother -- and my mother was a hell-raiser
sometimes -- was one day when she pitched one of her occasional hissy fits and
announced that she was leaving. Without raising his voice, he simply said,
"Well, wait a minute and I'll get my hat and go with you." My mother, who
despite her hot temper had a very good sense of humor, started laughing, and
that was the end of that.
But as the Alzheimer's progressed, my father became mean and aggressive and, as
much as mother tried, he became unmanageable at home, so he spent the last five
years of his life in the best nursing home she could find, and, once a
190-pound Junior All America football player, he died curled up in an 80-pound
ball, for more than three years not recognizing either my mother or me, his
only son.
I don't plan to end up like that. Maybe I need a new motorcycle. Or another
really fast car.
Walt
--
"Anything more than 500 yards from
the car just isn't photogenic." --
Edward Weston
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Richard Lovison <rlovison@xxxxxxxxx>
> Bill Pearce wrote:
>
> > Give me the choice, and I'll admit none of us like the options, I'll take
> > Alzheimers. At least my mother was in a fantasy world for the last five or
> > so years of her life. My father is, to put it bluntly, miserable. He
> > handles
> > things about as well as anyone, but every day, he is reminded about the
> > miserable nature of the rest of his life.
>
> Bill,
>
> I'm not sure there is one choice that's better than the other. As my
> Dentist put it as he was explaining the surgery he would soon need,
> "growing old isn't for the faint of heart."
>
> My brother's wife was diagnosed with Alzheimers in her early 50's and at
> age 55 she doesn't seem to be content being lost at times in a fantasy
> world. Just the opposite... when she gets disorientated she gets
> aggravated and upset. She fears having someone in the home other than
> my brother caring for her and fears being institutionalized. It seems
> to be a stressful situation for all involved including the children.
>
> Richard
>
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