Into this New Year

     From our Christmas/New Year's Letter this year:

     Here it is, nearly the middle of January, 14 days into 2017.  Christmas tree and decorations, as of today, are stored away until December comes again.  The first couple of weeks of the year have been non-stop busy in our little family.  Still, I want to take time to share a bit of our life these days.

     Since August, our days and weeks have been very full with grand kids—picking them up from school, taking them to appointments or just “hanging out” together until their mom gets off work, and even a number of “sleep-overs” which we all relish.  We love almost every minute of our time with the grands (who are now 7, 5 and 3) and though it wears us out, it's a happy tiredness and a sweet respite from dealing with the effects of Alzheimer's.

     And, of course, as is its nature, Alzheimer's continues to make its presence known in our lives.  Bob has lost many abilities and needs me to keep him occupied.  While he is still able to be “up and about,” as well as “out and about,”  he no longer seems to have the capacity to initiate much.  He enjoys the grand kids a lot, but cannot carry on conversation of any kind, even with me.  He can't enjoy the newspaper, a book, or even a movie because he cannot follow the content or plot line.  He enjoys music, especially orchestra concerts, and we try to incorporate both into our days whenever possible. The aphasia which is part of his particular Alzheimer's makes everything much harder.  It is often very apparent that there is something significant that Bob is trying to say, but what comes out of his mouth is mostly gibberish.  It is almost as if he is “trapped” inside his own body, trying to express what is inside but mostly without success.  This is frustrating, and sometimes depressing, for him and heartbreaking for me.

     Bob fell a few times this past year, with either no injury or minor scrapes.  But that prompted me to get him into physical therapy.  He was blessed with a very skilled and compassionate young therapist who not only helped strengthen his balance, but also taught us both a few ways to compensate for his losses.

     30+ years ago when we said, “in sickness and in health,”  neither of us had ever even heard of Alzheimer's disease much less expected to face its challenges in our own lives.  But we have been blessed with many caring family and friends, as well as with some good resources and a monthly support group.  More, we have been blessed with many years of strengthening a loving bond that sustains both of us today.   We are thankful for all that has been and all that continues to be, and we are confident that we can walk this path supported by our love for each other and the loving support which surrounds us.