Dementia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis
or most anyone who has been diagnosed with dementia or has loved someone with a type of dementia, the formal diagnosis was a moment frozen in time. A moment where the thought of possibly having a brain-destroying disease became a confirmed reality. That pivotal moment is life-changing; however, people can move beyond that moment in time and learn to live with dementia.
For our family, that moment arrived after my dad came out of surgery that was supposed to repair damage caused by a World War II brain injury. We had seen Dad wheeled into surgery. He’d propped himself up on one elbow and given us a signal that all would be well. That hand sign was accompanied by his signature smile.
When Dad awoke after surgery, he was paranoid. He was frightened. He was forever changed. Something went wrong in surgery and Dad came out of the procedure with severe dementia. A movie of that span of time can run in my brain with the slightest encouragement. I don’t dwell on this movie, but it’s there and always will be.
Dementia, whether Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body, or a variant like my dad’s, will always progressively worsen. People receiving the news are aware that the diagnosed person’s mind will gradually be destroyed…
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “For anyone having to walk the last segments of life with a loved one, read this. There are so many different people discussed that you will find hope in reading about each one and probably find pieces of your own story and struggle in many. This book is for all of us; let it help you cope! Thank you to the author and everyone she spoke with!” …Dolores
