I visited my mom today, as I do nearly every Friday. And, like I usually do, I came away feeling sad.
I miss my mommy.
A few months ago, we moved her into a different board and care facility. It seemed to be serendipitous when we drove up and brought her for a site visit. The house was on Normandy so she wouldn’t be wrong (on her bad days, she reverts to believing it’s the 70s and she lives on Normandie), and there were calla lillies in the front yard (she loves callas). There was a piano in the living room (she played piano as a child) and some of the nurses used to work at the Masonic Home, so they were super nice. We got her approval and she moved in.
Mom is calmer now than she was at the old place, but she’s less alert. Her memory isn’t as good as it was at the old place either. She regularly asks me how my classes are going (I finished school 2 years ago), she asks me how my kids are (no kids for me), and she doesn’t remember a lot of her favorite things (like recipes she used to cook all the time, the words to her favorite songs, etc.).
It’s gotten to the point, now, that I dread visiting because I know that I’ll just end up really, really sad afterwards. Of course, I visit anyway because she needs that human contact with people who love her. I cry as I drive home almost every time.
What brought today’s sadness on was that I wanted to ask her advice about buying a house, and I couldn’t. I had to settle for asking about when she bought the house on Normandie, and the house I grew up in. She couldn’t remember anything. She didn’t remember looking at houses, what made her know that these houses were “the one”, her fears about the process… nothing. I tried not to let my sadness and disappointment show, but I think the other residents saw it. One lady gave me a sad smile when I looked away from mom for a minute.
I tried to finish the visit on a positive note. I don’t ever want her to feel that she has done something wrong, when she hasn’t. I talked about running, how hard DH is working, good things that are happening at work (even though I’m so upset at work right now I want to scream), the crock pot meals I’ve been cooking, the baseball tickets I have, etc. Then I told her I loved her, gave her a kiss and walked out the door. In tears.
It’s times like this – where something big is happening in my life – that I miss her most. People who haven’t had a loved one go through dementia/Alzheimers, don’t really understand. The body is there, but the mind (that thing that makes her who she is) is not. That’s what I’m mourning. That’s what I miss. That’s what makes me cry as I’m reminded every Friday when I visit.
I love you mom. I miss you, so much.
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danieBOB's Weblog 
Adding Coconut oil to the diet of Alzheimers patients helps tremendously with clairity and mental function. Also, the product at this site, http://DNA-Fountain-Of-Youth.com reduces oxidative stress, kind of arresting the progress. You owe it to your Mom to look into Natural solutions. I sincerely hope you try these for your Mom, and for yourself.
And yes, this is a very sad post. Wishing you strength and peace.
Oh what memories you have brought back with your post. My mom had Alzheimer’s as well. It was heart-breaking for her to look at me and not know me. Usually she thought I was my sister and she was mostly tolerate of my hugs and kisses but I too cried as I left and now just thinking about it. I can’t imagine not knowing my own children which is why I tell them I love them every chance I get. I know how hard it is Danielle. It doesn’t seem to get easier unfortunately but visiting did help me through the inevitable outcome. Thinking of you sweetie. Susan