Learning to live with Alzheimer's // life story
My mother a cheerful, hardworking, loving and very charitable woman; That's how I describe it and I remember it. She is by my side but it is as if she had started a trip without return, a trip that she did not decide to do, but that also participates in it.
She, an education professional, retired, widowed, independent and in a moment I begin to notice that she forgets the names of some things (like glass, brush), things that are used at every moment, equally actions that were repetitive like walking at home, they were difficult for her; since he could find her as "lost" or disoriented.
All this was worrying me and I decided to take her to consult with the family doctor, but first I must convince her, since being such an independent woman, I did not accept at times that she would make decisions for her.
When we reached an agreement with my mother, we visited the doctor and at first he only gave him advice and recommended certain things, such as eating a healthy diet and a more tranquil life.
One weekend, I go for a walk with a group of friends and I receive a call from a neighbor, who in a worried voice tells me that my mother went to the market the day before and had not yet returned. In those moments, the anguish took over me; Different thoughts went through my mind, she has never been a person used to sleeping outside the house and it scares me to think what could happen to her.
Of course my first decision was to return to my city and when I arrived I found the good news that my neighbor had gone out with other people from the neighborhood to look for her, finding her, in a police post near the market that she used to visit.
After all these events and guided by some good friends, we visited another doctor, the Doctor diagnosed that my mother is suffering from Alzheimer's.
Of course, my question was, if I had heard that this disease was suffered by elderly people, how could she, who was only 56 years old, have it? The doctor's response was that there is a type of Alzheimer's that attacks the "younger", is called early Alzheimer's and is diagnosed to people between 50 and 60 years and even many younger.
Friends, how can you understand my life and my mother's change, now she depends on me, I spend more time with her giving her my love; helping to remind her of things she has been able to forget and, above all, preparing herself to feed her, perform her personal hygiene, dress and comb her when she can no longer do it.
I can only tell you that this is a situation in life that nobody is prepared to live, but that it is our turn to have many children, to see how our parents suffer from this sad illness without being able to do anything, just to be by their side and not leave them behind. hands of strangers.