I have been a caregiver for my husband with Alzheimer’s and Frontal Lobe (Frontotemporal) Dementia for six years, although he clearly had issues many years before diagnosis.
I feel as if I am living with two men.
“Bob” the build anything, fix anything man. He worked for Montgomery Ward’s remodeling stores all over the United States. After that, he managed a hardware store.
Then I have “Al” the meek and gentle-spirited man that has developed a passion for singing, is confused about life and lives only in the present moment.
I try hard to keep my emotions and devastation in check.
How do I hold on to the memory of Bob when I see “Al” taking over? How do I deal with the sense of abandonment I feel, the loneliness, the isolation? I ask myself these questions every day.
I imagine that I am not alone in this state of “Alzheimer's madness.”
You may just have an “Al” in your world too. I did not ask for this journey, and I am sure you did not either. I invite you to take this journey with me. We are in this together, you and I—and Bob and “Al,” of course.