CAROL’S STORY: Caring around the clock
Carol Foote just can’t seem to make plans and keep them. Friends have stopped asking the woman from Miramichi, New Brunswick, to go for a coffee, get together for lunch or take in a movie. Carol’s not irresponsible. It’s just that, for more than a decade, most of her energy has been focused on her ailing, 73-year-old mother, Alice Richardson, who requires full-time care.
M’S STORY: Don’t just smell the flowers
I am in the process of diagnosis. All tests are complete except for the memory part. The prescription drug I have been put on causes dreams in 3-D every night. It is like going to a movie, with me as the star. There is no time to feel fear, grief, or any negative thought.
VIVIENNE’S STORY: Holidays with a difference
With birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays being big family events with us, it’s important that our mom, Vivienne, is with us. This is particularly important now that we have young children.
CHIP’S STORY: Life after diagnosis
Lately, I’ve been pushing myself and doing a lot. I set limitations for myself but find them difficult to follow. There is so much I want to do in life, but Alzheimer disease has changed my goals.
ALEISHA’S STORY: My little flower
My grandmother loved to plant flowers. Her favourite was the sunflower.
CARL’S STORY: Be strong and fight
For many decades, I served thousands of Mississauga residents as their neighbourhood pharmacist at a small, independent pharmacy I opened in May 1952. Since my retirement, things have changed to say the least. I don’t remember when it happened.
JERRY’S STORY: The right care
When my friend Linda became too ill to take care of herself, she went to live with her son. I kept in touch with her, and she often came to visit me at my retirement residence. One day, I noticed a small bruise on her cheek. I asked her what had happened, and she said she’d tripped and hit her face against the wall.
AMANDA’S STORY: A family affair
Although one of my aunts does not have Alzheimer disease, my mother, aunt, grandmother and all of her brothers and sisters suffered from early onset Alzheimer. My mother is the only survivor. Only in her early 40s, she is now in a home. I got tested to see if I have the same gene as my mother.
HAROLD’S STORY: Bingo!
As I reached for the telephone to tell the others I’d be arriving late, I felt a bit queasy. I had never felt this way before. My eyes started to fade out and my chest started to hurt. It felt like something was trying to come out of my chest. I called my neighbour, but as soon as I hit the last number, I collapsed.
IRENE’S STORY: Food for the soul
Have you visited the Alzheimer ward of a nursing home lately? If so, you’ll know that it can be a sad place. But did you know that you can do something about it? That as a volunteer, you can bring some joy, not only to your loved one but to many others?