Just Not the Same

Daybreak Adult Care is beginning a new series of feature articles that chronicle the experiences of those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease.  Read more entries by clicking the BLOG link at www.daybreakcare.com

There was no singular, dramatic moment when I realized that Frank, my husband for the last forty-five years, was suffering from an illness.  Sure, in the years that have followed I’ve had lots of moments that would leave no doubt that Frank is in the grip of Alzheimer’s.  But, at first, the signs were more subtle, were the types of things that can happen to anyone, especially as we age. 

One of the first things I noticed was that Frank was more and more frequently forgetting the names of friends.  Of course, that happens to me sometimes as well.  You know, you can see their face plainly in your mind but the name just refuses to surface for a few minutes.  Then, suddenly up it pops and leaves you wandering how you could have ever forgotten something that you know so well.

 But with Frank, little by little, he was forgetting things more and more often and unable to bring the knowledge to his mind as quickly as he should have. Sometimes he couldn’t remember at all.  And it wasn’t just names.  Sometimes he couldn’t remember directions to places that we frequently visited. He would ask me questions about which way to turn at an intersection, confuse roads that we’ve driven for years. 

Finally, when we began to get late notices for our utility bills in the mail, I knew something was wrong.  Frank had always been the one to handle our financial business.  He was prompt and organized in our personal business just as he had been in his professional life.  Forgetting to pay a bill can happen, but not to Frank.

 At this point, all of the things, some of them that seemed small by themselves, began to add up.  I knew this was something that we needed to talk to our doctor about.  As much as I hoped that nothing was wrong, I knew that we needed to understand what was happening.  So, I made the call. And together we walked into this next phase of our lives. 




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