A mom with Alzheimer's

I am sure most of you know or know some one that has a loved one that has Alzheimer's. My mom has it, or well they say she has it, the only way they can be 100% sure is to do an autopsy of the brain at death. That all being said, having some one with this disease teaches you to expect the unexpected, to know that plans are made to be changed, and that patience and undestanding friends are something that you need a whole lot of. My mom is in stage 5 to stage 6 of the disease, and she can remember people, but her short term memory is completely gone, she can take a pair of socks off and lose them in a matter of a minute. It is hard to watch some one that used to run several businesses, helped but my dad through school, got a 4.0 in college, not be able to turn the TV on or off, and be reduced to tears over it. I get on the average of 15 calls a day from her, and when she calls me she can not remember why she called, so I have to guess and help her get through the conversation. It is like there is a whole life locked in to the brain of this person, and it can not come out. She lives in an assisted living because I can not take care of her, she is on 15 medications a day and needs assistance to remember when it is time to eat. But if you were to meet her and talk to her, you would never know that this woman has this disease and that it is so progressed, she can carry on a conversation and talk to you and have a great time, but in 5 minutes, she will not remember talking to you at all. I know this disease is hard on the person that has it, but it is just as hard on the loved ones of that person. You look and see one person on the exterior, but the person they are on in the interior is gone, and they lose the sparkle in their eye and the smile on their face, So if you know of some one that has a loved one with this disease, give them an extra smile or hug and let them know you understand, believe me it goes a long way on the path that they are walking. Because the loved ones of a victim of alzheimer's are suffering a long slow loss that is hard to understand unless you have been there.