by Jean Caucutt
November 17, 2022
The diagnosis of any disease is difficult especially when the diagnosis is dementia. After Ted was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and as the disease progressed, Ted began to sleep less and less. Day was night. Night was day. Nothing seemed to help and sleep deprivation set in for me. I was advised by a triage nurse to have someone spend a night so I could get some much-needed sleep. I had not slept in a bed in several weeks as Ted would only take short naps in his recliner.
Our son volunteered to help out and arrived late one night after I had Ted settled and asleep. I went to bed ready for a good night’s sleep.
Ha! “A failed experiment” our son called it. Ted soon woke up and thus began a 7-hour long night of talking and enjoying having company. Ted regaled our son with many stories. I finally got up to try to support and to get Ted back in his chair for sleep. Nothing worked. So, at 5 a.m., I told our son to take Ted for a ride. When they arrived back home at 6 a.m., I had breakfast ready for Ted. He was happy and smiling. No sign of fatigue. After eating, he looked up at both us and exclaimed, “Every day is a gift, and we should be kind.”
Just a few weeks after this all-night vigil, and three days before Thanksgiving, Ted moved to Glenwood at Mulberry. He has since passed away. But the message from that night still rings true: “Every day is a gift, and we should be kind.”
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The Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park, thanks Jean for her 2nd article with insights from a caregiver. Contact Seniors in the Park for more information.
