Routnie. Mom loves routine. In the recent weeks I have found that routine is a big part of her life. Not only is routine apparent in her daily interactions. At this point I make contact with her daily to check in and check in on her day. The conversation is the same everyday. Today I went to ..., then I ate, after that I had a. Then we hang up. There is no two way communication and it is hard to converse about others. Mom is in her own world. Each week I know exactly what the week looks like as she does the same thing each week. The routine is predictable, and going off the routine is very difficult for her. She goes to church on certain days, laundry on different days, and appointments on other days. In these moments I am thankful that she has independence and has the ability to do things on her own. I know this is something that I will miss in the years to come.
Dementia. The diagnosis was clear, with many unknowns that are attached to it. When the diagnosis came there was a sense of relief that there was a name to the symptoms, and in the same breathe fear of the unknown. The neurologist quickly explained that dementia would be a disease that would come in a stair step method. We would experience certain symptoms and would stay consistent, and then we would then see a decrease. As an educator I have worked on helping students gain skills and knowledge that would prepare them. With mom we would be seeing the opposite. Mom is actively losing skills that she would not regain. There was a balance between helping, and empowering her to continue to use the skills she has. I was very unprepared and overwhelmed with the thought of making decisions for my mother. My brother quickly told me he trusted me 100%, and would allow me to make the decisions. The trust was comforting,...
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