Alzheimer’s & the Shrinking Brain Observed
My mom stood in the doorway shuffling her feet but not moving. She looked at me and asked, “What do I do?”
I touched her right leg and answered, “Move this leg.”
“Oh,” she remarked, then lifted her foot. “Like this.” And she started walking across the room.
I’d often wondered, as Mother gradually lost her capabilities, if her brain was shrinking or ceasing to communicate to her. Eventually she couldn’t remember how to walk. From asking what to do, then walking, she shuffled. She go and stop, go and stop. And then never go again. This was the course with other movements and functions.
Her shrinking brain was no longer telling her what to do when she could no longer feed herself, speak, dress and undress herself, and take care of herself. Then at the end, her brain ceased the subconscious functions.
However, we learned to accept Mother at whatever stage she was in. If my family and I didn’t, we’d cause both Mother and ourselves undue stress and discouragment. We couldn’t change what was happening to Mother, so we learned to make memories of the small joys we experienced.
Yes, there are joys…small ones each day or each time we visited. They are what I remember now instead of all the distressful aspects of Mother’s journey through Alzheimer’s. I remember that person who taught us about life and illness, and then death, even though the teacher she once was had no awareness of it…as far as I know.
Tags: Alzheimers, Alzheimers+Disease, Alzheimers+joys, brain, caregivers, Caregiving, dementia
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POSTED IN: Alzheimer's/Care, Alzheimer's/General, Alzheimer's/Inspiration-Encouragment, Alzheimer's/Memories, Alzheimer's/Personal Caregiving Experiences
3 opinions for Alzheimer’s & the Shrinking Brain Observed
cathy
Nov 9, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Mary Emma..I can so clearly remember when my mom first couldn’t walk…She and I had been some where and were walking across the parking lot to the car. I was holding her hand, as I often did, when all of a sudfden she just stopped. No warning, nothing, just not one more step. I looked at her and said …”Mom, why aren’t you walking?” She replied…”I don’t know how.” I had to explain to her, just like you did…”Pick up your foot and move it in front of the other.”
As you and I both know…Eventually, they forget all..
Life Without Memories » Blog Archive » Carnival of Healing - A Round Up of Health Related Blog Posts
Nov 25, 2006 at 5:57 am
[…] Welcome to the 61st edition of the Carnival of Healing. I’m so excited to be hosting this celebration of health at Life Without Memories. Take some time to wander through our fairways and peer into the tents - this carnival is completely free. Since this is a blog about Alzheimer’s and dementia, I thought you’d like to start with posts relating to these diseases. We’ll begin with Mary Emma Allen, who presents Alzheimer’s & the Shrinking Brain Observed, which is posted at Alzheimer’s Notes. Next, Kenton Whitman presents a very different viewpoint of Alzheimer’s disease - kentonwhitman.com Zen-Inspired Self Development posted at A New Perspective on Alzheimer’s. […]
Molly Dee
Dec 22, 2006 at 7:09 am
I run Sing-Alongs in Residential Homes and I have noticed when people who have Alzheimers stop and don’t know what to do, once they sing with me, they automatically lift their legs and start walking with me, as if the singing part of the brain has triggered something which tells them how to walk.
Molly Dee
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