Dad, you lived here once
this house with forget-me-nots
do you remember?
Inspired by the theme word “Forget-me-not” at
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17 syllables of sad but true. Alzheimer’s sucks.
Not just Alzheimer’s. My father had vascular dementia after some mini-strokes. And it all sucks. He couldn’t remember what day or what time it was. And he was always worried that he was late for something or that he needed to be somewhere. But he could tell what year it was and exactly how much money he had in each account and investment. If he went for a walk he sometimes couldn’t remember where he was going. Or worse how to get back home. He knew 4 languages fluently. And a smattering of several others. At the end he couldn’t remember which language he was speaking so he would start in one and mix words from each language before he finished. Of course the palliative care workers just thought he was speaking gibberish – and he thought they were just idiots because he had to repeat everything 3 or 4 times before they would clue in to his requests. After seeing that I am somewhat hoping my life isn’t quite that long.
I’m so sorry. My aunt has multi-infarct dementia and my grandmother had Alzheimer’s. It’s a terrible thing, witnessing the deterioration and the gradual disappearance of your loved ones.
Thank you and I am sorry for your own family struggle with dementia. The disappearance would be terrible to witness. A familiar body with a stranger inside. I was lucky in that sense my dad was still there. More scrambled than absent. And dementia of any kind just plain sucks.
I have worked with dementia patients as a nurse, and the horror and devastation to both the family and the sufferer – I pray it never happens to me or mine, and I am sorry it happened to yours….
Thank you for reading and for your kind words.
Ooo.. Thats bad… May god keep u healthy and fine till the end.
This is precisely what a short form should do. Well done.
You have expressed the anguish of dementia so poignantly. My mother in law suffered with the disease for many years. It was heartbreaking to watch her lose those parts that we identify as self. Still, there was an essence that that remained, almost like a fragrance. I am so sorry about your dad.
Thank you for your thoughtful words on a difficult topic. The one thing I did learn was that when spending time with someone who has dementia – you have to live in their world because they can’t come into your world anymore.
To quote a term I read on another contribution, this, was Senryu Perfection!
Saddening disease, that. To forget all that would’ve meant so much to that heart. My heart is with you, Merlin.
Leo
Thank you for your kind words. My parents always had forget-me-nots on the north side of the house. So the prompt connected well for my own memories.
I love this.
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