November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and across the nation there are candle lighting ceremonies and activities to increase the public’s knowledge of Alzheimer’s and its devastating effects. November is also the beginning of the holiday season where we celebrate Thanksgiving. As part of our celebration here at the office we enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with the clients at Charlie’s Place, our respite center. What a joy it was to spend time with the group and see their faces light up with excitement over the feast before them. As we took time to slow our office routine down a bit to share this holiday meal with them it made me long for my own large family’s dinner table. Unfortunately, living 1200 miles from my childhood home has prevented me from being there for Thanksgiving for 34 years. So each year I call and speak to family members as the phone is passed around the table; I get a few words with my mom, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and now great nieces and nephews.

This year I called my mom back later in the evening to spend more time with her as it gets more precious with each passing day. I fear the day she won’t know who I am when I call. It was a joy to hear she had cooked a turkey to bring to the family gathering yet I fear the day she forgets to turn the oven off. She recounted what she could remember of the celebration and could tell me the names of some of those in attendance, my brother and his family, two sisters but she couldn’t remember if their children were there, three great grandchildren, and some in-laws that she had no idea who they were. There was a pang of loss in my heart as she once prided herself in rattling off the names of all in attendance. I once listened to all 68 names of the family members at the annual reunion! She’s been aware that her memory is failing her and mentions it now and then in passing. “My memory is not so good anymore.” She will say. For the first time she mentioned that she doesn’t think so well anymore. She gets confused often. Her birthday is this week; she will turn 87 years old. She is in very good health with the exception of her Alzheimer’s. Our journey could be a long one and I will continue to savor the moments of her clear mind and accept humor and empathy in those moments of less clarity.

The holidays often allow us to see the changes in a loved one as we spend more time together during them. It is often the only time some families see each other and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s are recognized for the first time. This is another blessing we receive from the holidays as it gives us the opportunity to act on seeing those symptoms. Don’t discount them but rather ask when the last time a doctor’s visit was made, are they taking their medications regularly if they have been prescribed, perhaps it’s time to get their vision, hearing, and teeth checked. Make sure your loved one has a will and their wishes are known for their care. These are not the easiest conversations to have but are so important and will make the journey easier. With care, there may be many holiday seasons to enjoy yet!

Barbara W. Auten, Executive Director