I often imagine what it would be like if my father were still here to mark his 100th birthday, if Alzheimer's hadn't clawed away years, possibilities, hopes. What would he think of all the commemorations and celebrations?
Patti DavisRead
I think the earlier stages of Alzheimer's are the hardest. Particularly because the person knows that they are losing awareness. They're aware that they're losing awareness, and you see them struggling.
Interpretation
The early stages of Alzheimer's are particularly difficult for both the individual and their loved ones due to the awareness of cognitive decline.
This quote by Patti Davis captures the profound struggle faced by individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. It highlights the painful awareness that accompanies the loss of cognitive function, where the person realizes they are losing their grip on reality and memory. This awareness can lead to feelings of fear, frustration, and grief, not only for those affected but also for their families and caregivers as they witness the decline.
In practice
In a support group for families of Alzheimer's patients.
I often imagine what it would be like if my father were still here to mark his 100th birthday, if Alzheimer's hadn't clawed away years, possibilities, hopes. What would he think of all the commemorations and celebrations?
No one ever saw all of him. It took me nearly four decades to allow my father his shadows, his reserve, to sit silently with him and not clamor for something more.
Life Lesson 3: You can't rush grief. It has its own timetable. All you can do is make sure there are lots of soft places around - beds, pillows, arms, laps.
Life's just one great journey. It's a road we travel as we go from point A to point B. What makes that journey worthwhile is the people we choose to travel with, the people we hold close as we take steps into the darkness and blindly make our way through life. They're the people who matter.
[T]he normal and the everyday are often amazingly unstoppable, and what is unimaginable is the cessation of them. The world is resilient, and, no matter what interruptions occur, people so badly want to return to their lives and get on with them. A veneer of civilization descends quickly, like a shining rain. Dust is settled.
For every laugh, there should be a tear.
The point is to live everything.
There are some men in this world who are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.
Growing up is, after all, only the understanding that one's unique and incredible experience is what every one shares.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.