Since my mother’s passing at age 67, eight years following her early onset diagnosis, my service has been to educate and answer questions honestly and respectfully. Providing guidance on what to expect during their journey, supports others in a way my brother and I did not experience. Helping others navigate within the constraints of this disease, helps ease the isolation, helplessness and living-grief associated with caring for a loved one with Dementia.
Our story and experience includes the sudden loss of our father and on the same day becoming full-time caretakers of our mom through her rapid decline in her final 27 months. We define being ‘sandwiched’ between raising young children, being in our 30’s, married and working full-time while caring for our mother to the best of our abilities.
We are grateful to the unwavering support of our spouses as we cared for our Dementia stricken mother over her ten care transitions, due to her cognitive impairment. Ours was a journey of living-loss, grief and guilt. My focus now includes supporting others, educating and raising awareness through Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement.