Personhood. It’s important to know and always remember that the person living with dementia never loses their true essence.
All of these photos were taken during the course of our Alzheimer’s journey, some very early on and others in the final years. Although the painful moments became more frequent and lasted longer as the disease progressed, and despite the delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, agitation, anger, depression, and episodes of acting out, Mom never stopped showing us little reminders that she was still very much “in there.”
Long after she lost the ability to communicate verbally, she found ways to joke and playfully tease. With time, it took more effort to reach her, but when we did, her mannerisms, gestures, and facial expressions told us she was very much “Still Marilyn.”
Five years ago today, we celebrated my mom’s life; a very special day, that cold Saturday in January. Italian food, free-flowing wine, many dear friends and family members, love, laughter, and of course, tears. The gathering culminated in a balloon release that she would have loved.
