Twelve years ago today, my mom passed away. We knew the end was near, but death is so final. She was so fragile that even the slightest movement of her body caused excruciating pain. I remember sitting next to her on the bed and wanting to help her get cleaned up. As I lifted her arm, she screamed out in pain. She could not speak. I knew she would not want to be soiled, but there we were. I sat quietly with tears running down my face trying not to sob and shake the bed, causing her more pain. In my mind, I knew she could not endure this pain and suffering much longer, but selfishly I was not ready for her to leave. She had so much life to live, so many places to go to and so many more people to meet, including her granddaughters. There are times in life when you need to be sad. How do you make sense of a senseless illness? There was not a cure, no good answers, but we persevered in the hope that someday we would find a solution to bring back her quality of life. It was not to be as we all sat by her side as she took in her last breath. The night was clear and cold. The moon was shining so big and bright it appeared within reach. I breathed in the cold night air in hopes it would clear my thoughts. It felt unreal like I was going to wake up tomorrow, and everything would be back to normal. Then reality set in and I knew it was forever. My Gram, her mom, was still living at the time. My brothers drove to her home immediately. It was like seeing the military police at your door. She knew before any words were spoken, and fell into their arms. There was no consoling, no meaning to such a senseless loss. My Gram would always say, "It is just not natural to lose a child." As a parent, you never expect to lose your child. The photo I shared was one of my mom when she was almost five years old. I can't imagine that her parents ever thought this happy child would be so ill. Today and every day, I honor my mom by sharing her story of chronic illness, grit, and determination. Her love of family and life was such a gift. If I can, in any way, prevent other families from having to endure the same struggles, it would be my honor.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_title hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" content_align="left" size="1" font_size="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="15px" margin_top_mobile="" margin_bottom_mobile="" text_color="" style_type="none" sep_color=""] Dementia 101 [/fusion_title][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] Over the last twenty years of working in the Senior Care Industry, I cannot count how many times I've heard people misuse or confuse terms when it comes to Dementia. So today, we're going to break down the basics so you can have a clearer understanding and feel more confident when broaching this subject. First, it's crucial to understand that if Dementia is diagnosed, this means at least two parts of the brain are dying. But note that Dementia is not a specific disease in and of itself, nor is it a natural part of aging. Instead, think of this as an umbrella term for conditions such as Alzheimer's, which is the most common form of Dementia. [/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id="3396|full" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="none" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]https://thedevoteddaughter.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Dementia-Umbrella-Term.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type="none" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="" top_margin="" bottom_margin="20px" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" /][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] Remember, the word 'Dementia' is describing a set of symptoms that may include difficulty with memory, thinking, perception, language, or problem-solving. Dementia is a progressive disease, meaning it will become worse as the cells in the brain continue to die, causing the brain to shrink. In my experience, I have seen families fall apart when caring for someone living with Dementia. There can be a lot of frustration, anger, and guilt thrown around, but try to remember it is the disease, not the person talking. Unfortunately, the cause of Dementia is still undetermined. Age is the most significant risk factor, but again is not a part of normal aging. With over 50 million people living with Dementia worldwide, we are hoping for a cure soon. To all of you caring for someone living with Dementia, my heart goes out to you. I encourage you to look into your support system and try to fill in gaps as much as you can. Find time for yourself, know you're doing a fantastic job, and while someone living with Dementia might not always remember your name, they will remember how you made them feel. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]