Friday evening

07 Friday Sep 2012

I arrived after work to find mom sleeping peacefully; unfortunately, that peaceful state did not last long enough. She woke, and I was able to get her to drink 8 oz of Ensure, but she was agitated all evening. She is fighting with someone that she can definitely see and reach out and touch, but we will never know for sure who it is or what she’s so angry about. There are no words to describe how painful it is to watch her struggle.

When I left tonight, she had once again found a peaceful place and was sleeping in the recliner… I am praying she is able to have a restful night.

Angels among us…

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Mom

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The past week has been quite a roller coaster ride. My mom has taken a turn for the worse. She stopped eating and drinking last Saturday. We can get her to drink some Ensure or a few sips of juice or tea now and then, but she’s even turning down ice cream – her favorite thing in the world. She is sleeping anywhere from 12-14 hours/day.

…It’s funny, I thought I was prepared for this, but I guess you are never truly ready…

While this week has been heart wrenching, I am so thankful for the time I’ve been able to spend with her. I was at the house for about 30 hours straight Tuesday/Wednesday, and we had some beautiful moments that I will cherish forever.

The most difficult part of all of this is seeing her struggle, and unfortunately during waking hours, she is often very restless and doing a lot of screaming, hitting and biting herself, and several other things that are sure signs of frustration and dismay.

I am taking some comfort in the fact that I feel certain she actually does know who I am, and she is most definitely responding to me in a special way. I have also been comforted by a few things that have happened in the past week that feel like signs. Signs that everything is going to be okay, that God is here with us, and while none of this makes sense, He has us in His care.

I took the photo below last night. I’ve been very careful about what pictures I want to take during this time, but I knew I had to capture this moment. When she is awake, she often stares at the ceiling. She is definitely seeing something very beautiful and comforting, as she always appears peaceful and content when she does this.

During these moments, her eyes are almost glistening with wonder. It is nearly impossible to get her attention – she is very focused. Watching this is surreal, but it gives me a sense of peace as well. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the angels are preparing her beautiful wings in anticipation of her arrival… and I think she’s watching them. She’s so tired, so worn out from all she’s been through in the past decade, and she knows that soon she will be whole again…

A friend shared this with me yesterday, and it is so helpful when I begin to feel lost.

Be still, and know that I am God

September: World Alzheimer’s Month

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Ann Napoletan in Facts & Figures, Washington, World ALZ Month

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September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and it gives all of us a wonderful opportunity to spread the word, educate the masses, and advocate, advocate, advocate! There are still plenty of people out there that think ALZ is “just being forgetful” or “a normal part of aging.” Neither could be further from the truth, but these are indeed very common misconceptions.

To be honest, until I began this journey with my mom, I didn’t realize the magnitude of the illness or the many ways in which it can manifest itself. It’s a slow, agonizing process that steals every last bit of dignity from its victims. And it causes us to mourn the loss of our loved ones over and over and over again. They’re physically present, but they are just the shell of the person they used to be. Each day, we lose a little more of them.

Click here to read the story of Jordan, diagnosed with early onset four years ago. The younger the victim, the more misconceptions and the greater the stigma.

Those are just a few of the human aspects of the disease. The facts and statistics are an entirely different topic. Consider these numbers:

5.4 million people have Alzheimer’s; projection for 2050, 14-16 million
The annual cost is $200 billion
ALZ is the 6th leading cause of death
There are an estimated 15 million unpaid caregivers
Every 69 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer’s
Two thirds of those with the disease are women
In 2011, Medicare & Medicaid spent $130 billion caring for people with ALZ; projection for 2050, $805 billion

Those numbers are staggering. Every time I see them, I am blown away. 5.4 MILLION people with the disease. $130 BILLION spent in 2011. And that’s Medicare/Medicaid. Imagine the overall cost of private pay care. $75,000/year is probably about right for the Midwest. These people who worked hard for 30+ years are spending their pension, Social Security, and “nest egg” for care; not exactly how they thought retirement would look, is it?

This is why it’s so very important that people understand the severity of the problem and the exponential growth we’re looking at in the years to come. We must lobby. We must educate. We must eradicate Alzheimer’s.