The beginning of the end

I truly believe that my mom's Alzheimer started to set in when she and my father were serving a mission  in Budapest, Hungary - back in 2003-2005.  When mom came home, she just wasn't the same lady.  She was happy to be home but something was different in her.  She was more easily agitated and a little paranoid.  She told my dad one day that i was "out to get her".......

I've spent the last several years watching her struggle with little things like trying to figure out portions of food to serve when having company for dinner.  Now for those of you who know Kay, she was a lady who liked to entertain and did it well.  And - it was ALL ABOUT THE FOOD.  All of a sudden she started showing up with brownies (to add to my dinner) instead of the agreed upon Green beans.   Or she'd bring beans, but enough for 2 people and we were feeding 8.

Then we moved to mismatched outfits - SO not my mother!  No make -up, but red lipstick.  I noticed her hair was becoming a huge struggle for her and that she just could not make it "look right" anymore.

I was starting to recognize some behaviors that my dear sweet Grandma had in her early stages of this terrible disease.  It was here--- she had been struck.

They have been home from their mission for 6 years now so I guess you could say that mom's had this for 6 years.  wow.  Most people didn't even notice it at first because it just manifested itself with a few little things that just a few of us noticed.

Now, she many times cannot carry on a conversation.  The words go -- or they never come to begin with-- or they come and they are wrong.

Here is a woman who use to do some catering, receptions, teach, administrate -- now she cannot fix a sandwich.  This is a terrible disease.

She is on 2 drugs for Alzheimers and one anti depressant (which has been great).  She is generally pretty happy and can laugh at her mistakes.  Some day- this too will go.

She is loved by so many -- and it's my hopes that through this blog, the many people who love her can share their thoughts and memories of and about her.  And follow us through these last few years of her life.  To me, she is dying, slowly.    And then she'll die again.  I love her and I'm grateful for this chance to take care of her -- I am learning a lot about life and what's really important.  I guess that only happens when we have adversity and trials, right?