This Ain't No "The Notebook"

Here's the deal with Alzheimer's: it doesn't just affect the memory. That is a great misconception of the disease. Over time, it affects EVERY aspect of the neurological system.

So Mom didn't just forget things. She didn't just need reminders. Her brain got very confused. She did weird things like put Daddy's pajamas in the freezer, or the cat food in her underwear drawer and a dish of bananas on the floor for the cat. She couldn't recognize or name familiar objects, like keys. Like ME. She began substituting odd words when she couldn't think of the right one. Her speech became unintelligible. Eventually, she really couldn't even speak.

Her balance was affected. After she broke her hip, even though she healed quickly and physically could've walked, her mind could no longer send proper instructions and she stopped being able to walk. She eventually became unable to move herself at all, really. She always slumped to one side when she was sitting up. She wasn't able to adjust her position, while sitting or lying down. Her only movement became the "worrying" she would do with her fingers and the hem of the blanket.

She stopped being able to go to the bathroom. She couldn't feed herself.

For a long time, she was able to smile and turn her head for me to give her a kiss. It was clear she recognized us.

Eventually, however, her body became an empty shell and, in her last days, she stopped responding at all.