Mirrors and reflections became a source of humor and concern. Mom would greet the friendly older lady in the mirror and have a short visit with her. She would tell me what a warm smile she has. It made me feel good that she was not critical about what she looked like and still recognized
Mom and I had to go to Vancouver to visit the Alzheimer's clinic at UBC. After the that appointment I thought to make the trip a bit more fun we would travel on to Victoria for the spring flowers. Packing was no longer easy for Mom so we did it together. She watched as I
The last year, during the palliative stage, when I was not with Mom she was always on my mind. She was on very few drugs but we were prepared for whatever happened. We live in a small town so planning ahead was critical as access to drugs would be limited on the weekend. We were
Mom had other problems beyond Alzheimer’s and needed multiple surgeries on leg arteries. Along with her brain her leg arteries were past the best before date. One of our cousins’ thought it would be handy if she lost a foot because then we would not have to worry about her wandering. That is black humor!
I had no understanding of what I was getting into as the journey evolved. The beginning was just spending more time with Mom and taking her to specialist appointments five hours away in the city. As the disease progressed it involved advocating and fighting my father for the best possible care for Mom. Later it
Mom was palliative for nine months. What was she waiting for? My husband said she was avoiding seeing her husband and her mother. My friends said she never had it so good. Six women that fawned over her, massaged her and fed her big bowls of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. A daughter visiting for extended periods.
