A Trail's Diversion - Reflections on Alzheimer's
Sometimes the tough things
That happen in our lives
Put us directly on the path
To the best thing
That will ever happen to us.
- Unknown
Difficult roads
Often lead to
Beautiful destinations.
- Unknown
No one is prepared for the isolation.
Friends disappear because
The person they knew is no longer there.
The caregiver gets trapped with the patient.
It is very lonely and isolating.
- Meryl Comer
We don't know how strong we are
until being strong is the only
choice we have.
- Alzheimer's Awareness
Survival is not how you end an experience,
But how you live through an experience.
It means not being a victim of the circumstance,
But taking hold of the experience, the circumstance,
And turning it into an achievement."
- Dorothy Webb
When you forget I will remember for us both
When you get lost I will find you
When you are sad I will be sad with you
When the fear comes I will comfort you
When you cry I will dry your tears
When you lash out at me I will not be angry
When you repeat I will have patience
When you forget my name I will understand
When you cannot eat I will feed you
When your legs fail I will carry you
When you long for home I will be your safe place
When your journey is ending I will be by your side
I will love you for eternity
I will ...
- Michata DeSocio
Those with dementia are still people
And they still have stories
And they still have character
And they are all individuals
And they are all unique.
And they just need to be
Interacted with on a human level."
- Carey Mulligan
Do not ask me to remember,
Don't try to make me understand.
Let me rest and know you're with me,
Kiss my cheek and hold my hand.
I'm confused beyond your concept,
I'm sad and sick and lost.
All I know is that I need you,
To be with me at all cost.
Do not lose your patience with me,
Do not scold or curse or cry.
I can't help the way I'm acting,
I can't be different though I try.
Just remember that I need you,
That the best of me is gone.
Please don't fail to stand beside me,
Love me 'til my life is gone."
- Unknown
the heart never forgets.
- Unknown
There is one thing
Alzheimer's cannot take
away, and that is love.
Love is not a memory - it's
a feeling that resides in
your heart and soul.
- Unknown
When Caring Takes Courage
Today I will stay with you.
I will be right here, right now.
I will fight my desire to retreat to our
yesterday's where I can still find us.
I will resist the pull of practicality that
keeps me worried about our tomorrows.
Today I will stay with you.
I will be right here, right now.
- Mara Botonis
you will benefit ...
You will have no regrets knowing that
you did what you could and
what was right.
-Gail L.
Your Mother is always with you. She's the
whisper of the leaves as you walk down the
street, she's the smell of certain foods you
remember, flowers you pick, the fragrance of
life itself. She's the cool hand on your brow
when you're not feeling well, she's your breath
in the air on a cold witer's day. She is the
sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the
colors of a rainbow, she is Christmas morning.
Your mother lives inside your laughter. She's
the place you came from, your first home, and
she's the map you follow with every step you
take. She's your first love, your first friend.
Nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, not space
not even death.
- Unknown
The safe place where we can go, as
we are, and not be questioned."
- Maya Angelou
"If you learn to listen for
clues as to how I feel
instead of what I say
you will be able to
understand me
much better."
— Mara Botonis
That You Remember Me
I've learned so much throughout my life
but there's much I don't recall.
I know it's in there somewhere
but it's hard to find it all.
It's not that I've forgotten you,
or the things I said I'd do;
I remember everything
but it's hidden somewhere I can't see
just beyond my view.
You see, there is a shadow where
there didn't used to be,
and sometimes when I look right there
it just confuses me.
My mind has ways of taking me
where I don't want to go.
I know I know your name, you see;
just right now it's hard for me
to think of things I really know,
and to know what really is,
and what may not be so.
Though I may forget you,
it's important that you see
just how much it means to me
that you remember me.
- Danel Mark Extrom
“Dementia does not
rob someone of their
dignity, it's our
reaction to them that
does.”
-Teep Snow
"Courage doesn't always roar,
sometimes courage is a quiet voice
at the end of the day saying
'I will try again tomorrow.'"
- Mary Ann Radmacher
"Don't let the fear of tomorrow
take away the joy of today."
- Unknown
"Things turn out best
for people who make the best
of the way things turn out."
- Art Linkletter
"Caregiving often calls us
to lean into love
we didn't know possible."
- Tia Walker
"A hero is an ordinary individual
who finds the strength to persevere and endure
in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
- Christoper Reeve
