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By Carol January 26th, 2012
I’m so glad the producers of To Not Fade Away asked me to review their film. Otherwise I would never have seen it, since it is not offered on my DTV plan. In Denver this wonderful RLTV video can only be seen on Comcast Channel 205.
Both my mother and my father suffered from dementia. While neither of them had Alzheimer’s disease, a fear of this particular form of dementia looms large for me as for many in my generation. The older I get the more unsettling small moments of forgetfulness become. I believe that having solid factual information about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is vitally important for all of us at this stage of life. And it is equally important for children and loved ones of the elderly to know much …
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By Carol January 1st, 2012
This is the time of year for resolute looking forward. But as Janus, the Roman god that gives January its name, shows us, looking forward also involves looking back. Our stories about those who are ill and those who have left us are an important part of what we carry with us into the unknown ahead.
We all benefit from one-another’s stories. Fortunately it’s not too late to enter the Your Favorite Memory Contest. Here’s a chance to memorialize your family and win prizes.
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Technorati Tags: aging, Alzheimer’s disease, caring for aging parents, family memories, family stories, Love, Your Favorite Memory Contest
By Bill December 29th, 2011
Holiday Moods
The holidays have not been as sad this year. We are farther away from the deaths of Audrey and Frank, Carol and Judi’s parents. Judi is facing health problems, but Carol and her son and daughter are doing well. We spent Christmas with them. We saw a good concert and a good movie, along with good food and gifts.
This is my first holiday season since I retired. I have not been home for the entire holiday season for about 30 years. I worked in water treatment, which meant shift work. I worked days, nights, weekends, and holidays. I was never home for the entire holiday stretch. I worked 12 hour shifts, so my time to spend with family was limited by the need to rest before the next shift. I …
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By Bill December 22nd, 2011
It is the Christmas season, a time of celebration, of renewal, of family gatherings to commemorate the birth of the Redeemer. As families gather to share gifts, good food, the lights and events marking the season, many of us also reflect on past Christmases we shared with those who are gone.
This week we went to Barbara’s memorial service. It was painful, as these things are, but it was also a true celebration of the life of a woman who loved and was loved. I shed tears for her and those I was caregiver for, as well as all of us who live and die on this place of beauty.
As I write this it is snowing, covering the city with white. Soon, it will be spring, with new life nourished by the winter’s …
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By Bill November 17th, 2011
B-24 Liberator
Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving are the November holidays. Many people see Veteran’s day as an extra day off or just another workday. Thanksgiving is about overeating and football, and the real holiday event is shopping on Black Friday.
This year, the November holidays are blending into memories. This was triggered by an email we got from a regular reader. She wants us to record memories and voices of Alzheimer’s people. Audrey and Frank, Carol and Judi’s parents, both had dementia, but not Alzheimer’s. Bernie, Audrey’s second husband, did have Alzheimer’s. We weren’t direct caregivers but we saw the terrible progression of his disease.
Bernie was a WWII Veteran of the Eighth Air Force which had the highest casualty rate of any U. S. Army unit in the war. He was …
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