Teaching Now Living: Introduction
Sarah the Professional shares the trials and tribulations of caring for her Mother while she is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. On top of caring for her ailing mother, Sarah also teaches dementia care to her fellow professionals. Throughout her life she has gained, a diverse knowledge of other Dementias with her patients and her own family. Lewy Bodies Dementia had affected her father, Edward, in his late years. Her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's and her mother-in-law battled with vascular dementia.
Sarah’s Mom had been suffering from a pinched nerve in her back that prevented her from putting weight on her right leg. Sarah and her sister fortunately lived close by and were able to care for their mother for the two weeks she was immobile. They brought her meals, helped her bathe and encouraged her to walk and perform exercises to improve her physical condition. While caring for their Mom they noticed she was no longer caring for her home as she had in the past. Her kitchen and bathrooms had always been spotless; this was no longer the case. Items were strewn over counters, the floor was visibly dirty had clearly not been washed or swept recently. When Sarah looked into her mother’s checkbook to assist with bill paying she noticed things were not right. In the past their Mom’s checkbook was reconciled monthly right down to the penny. Today there were amounts written without proper notation and a balance had not been reconciled in over 3 months.
Sarah realized this was more of an issue than just a pinched nerve. Her mother (Ellie) had always been very active in her local religious community; recently she had made a habit of withdrawing from attending many of her church functions with an excuse. Ellie had been the primary caregiver for her husband Edward who had Lewy Bodies dementia and passed away in 2010.
Join us as Sarah shares experiences of caring for her Mother, including the clues, changes and challenges that occur as the disease progresses.
