It wasn 't until 2012 that we first noticed a change in your behavior. A once energetic and high spirited woman was experiencing changes and becoming lifeless and confused. We presumed old age was kicking in and thought that forgetting things was just a natural part of growing old. However it was not. The slow deterioration of my beautiful gran made our family aware that something more serious was going on, something that could not be explained by old age and inevitably something that could not be cured. By the end of 2012 my granny was diagnosed with vascular dementia, the decline in her mental and physical state.After living with dementia for three years she is gradually getting worse and is now experiencing stage six of the disease; forgetting
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As my granny has gotten worse the roles have reversed and now my dad cares for his mum as she once cared for him. For my parents it is like having a third child. They spent half their lives at my granny’s house, stressing and worrying about her and her safety. Phone calls although have stopped now ( she has forgotten how to use a phone) went from being about once a week to around 8 or 9 times a day. My Granny asking insignificant questions about something my dad does not have the answer too. This disease is preventing my parents from living their own lives, interfering with their work and down time (even holidays). My dad’s relationship with his mother has frayed and a day does not go by when my granny is not the main topic of conversation. My granny is fully unaware of her mind obliterating condition and as my dad puts it “she’s away with the fairies.” He often finds her talking to herself happily. I cannot begin to describe the burden that has been bestowed upon my parents, they go over and above to help my granny out from cleaning her house, to making her food and doing her shopping. They never receive a thank you for the lengths they go to to care for my granny, they put her life before theirs and they will continue to do so for as long as …show more content…
She cannot remember my name, my age or my relation to her. In her eyes I am but a stranger, an unrecognisable figure but in my eyes she is my everything. Dementia is such a peculiar disease, to think that of all the memories we have shared together she cannot even remember one. This disease is eating away at her and I can do nothing but watch, it is a treacherous experience that cannot be explained through words. Her insults have taken an affect on me and have dropped my confidence and self-esteem; it is exasperating but I know deep down she doesn’t mean it. The frequently asked question of “Have you been here before” discourages me from going to see her, it leaves me with a lump in my throat that I so desperately want to swallow. As a result I have gone from seeing her at least two or three times a week to possibly only once every month; sometimes not even that. Dealing with dementia involves a lot of patience and commitment as well as an understanding of how it is affecting someone. Something that has taken me a while to get used to and to this day I still struggle
As my granny has gotten worse the roles have reversed and now my dad cares for his mum as she once cared for him. For my parents it is like having a third child. They spent half their lives at my granny’s house, stressing and worrying about her and her safety. Phone calls although have stopped now ( she has forgotten how to use a phone) went from being about once a week to around 8 or 9 times a day. My Granny asking insignificant questions about something my dad does not have the answer too. This disease is preventing my parents from living their own lives, interfering with their work and down time (even holidays). My dad’s relationship with his mother has frayed and a day does not go by when my granny is not the main topic of conversation. My granny is fully unaware of her mind obliterating condition and as my dad puts it “she’s away with the fairies.” He often finds her talking to herself happily. I cannot begin to describe the burden that has been bestowed upon my parents, they go over and above to help my granny out from cleaning her house, to making her food and doing her shopping. They never receive a thank you for the lengths they go to to care for my granny, they put her life before theirs and they will continue to do so for as long as …show more content…
She cannot remember my name, my age or my relation to her. In her eyes I am but a stranger, an unrecognisable figure but in my eyes she is my everything. Dementia is such a peculiar disease, to think that of all the memories we have shared together she cannot even remember one. This disease is eating away at her and I can do nothing but watch, it is a treacherous experience that cannot be explained through words. Her insults have taken an affect on me and have dropped my confidence and self-esteem; it is exasperating but I know deep down she doesn’t mean it. The frequently asked question of “Have you been here before” discourages me from going to see her, it leaves me with a lump in my throat that I so desperately want to swallow. As a result I have gone from seeing her at least two or three times a week to possibly only once every month; sometimes not even that. Dealing with dementia involves a lot of patience and commitment as well as an understanding of how it is affecting someone. Something that has taken me a while to get used to and to this day I still struggle