A post on Alzheimer's

To any of you that are dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer's, get the book "The Long goodbye". Read it.

A couple of weeks ago I heard that an aunt had been diagnosed with this foul trick played on humanity so I made it a personal point to drive up to see her after I got off of my last tour.

This is an open post for some of my relatives. I am posting it here for the benefit of any readers that are dealing with this insideous disease. Quite frankly, if I am the recipient of this scourge of humanity, I have a couple of friends that have agreed to catch me in a lucid moment and let me know it's time. They will then hand me a pistol and leave the room.

Just as my mother was the oldest of her generation, I am the oldest of this current generation and I guess I really ought to share a few things with you guys. Your mother is the baby of her generation, as you know.

As were all of my mother's children, I was born in the hospital right behind your grandparents house.

She was thirteen when I was born and you can bet that our grandparents spoiled the living hell out of me. Your mom got to see the miracle of infancy and I'm pretty sure it tugged at her youthful maternal instinct. She baby sat me often during my early years and she doted on me and spoiled me rotten. I've known your mom since she was 13.

While we are on the subject of grandparents, you grandmother had the obnoxious habit at weddings of pinching my cheek and saying, 'You're next". I broke her of that habit by doing it back to her at a funeral. To those of you that never had her do that dopey little annoying thing to you, I figure you owe me one for that one.

During my early years your mother did a lot of neat things with me. I well remember a trip she took my brother and I on to visit Old Ironsides. We had a blast. She also took us to a few museums and I enjoyed that, too. I consider her an important part of my childhood.

Over the years as I grew up she always had an open ear and a very sharp mind that was open to discuss just about anything. As time went on and I left home to embark on the three ring circus my life has been, I tried to drop in on her when I had the chance.

It's hard to drop by when you live in Colorado or Alaska, but when I could I made the effort. It was always worth it. Then again, it is always worth it to see someone that is willing to discuss something other than the nice looking blue coat you have on. In short, you mother is quite a brain. She's also a good listener and has often had good advice for me.

My visit to her was wonderful. She was very lucid and remembered just about everything and didn't repeat herself more than once or twice. Maybe I got lucky and she was having a good day. About the only problems she seemed to have is getting us to the beach and the clam hut, but that was OK and I played it light as one is certainly supposed to do.

We had a nice long walk on the beach and it was probably a good thing. She was pretty sharp and I think like her big sister she is a water person. It was wonderful walking barefoot in the sand and she's in pretty good shape.

Still, even though I didn't mind getting lost for a few minutes, it was very frustrating to her that she seemed to have started to lose her way around. It bothered her, I could tell. This is one of the parts of the disease that is maddening to someone that has it. They get very frustrated as they KNOW they have gone somewhere a thousand times but now do not remember how.

It upset me to see her frustrated, but I didn't show it. It just would have made things worse.

I am going to be pretty blunt here, I saw what the disease did to my mother. It wasn't pretty and I want all of my aunt's children to know they can call me 24/7 to discuss anything they want, and my email is open, too.

Don't be afraid to give me a call or drop me an email, and don't be bashful about this because the truth is, I owe it to your mother.

She's special.



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