Caring for Someone with Dementia

 Dear Diary Readers, 

I want to open up about some of my experiences with a loved one who had dementia. This can be one of the hardest journeys to go through. My grandmother struggled with this for several years. She gradually got worse as the later stages came in. There were moments when she was her old self who could tell jokes and spend hours talking to family. However, some days she was forgetful and couldn't carry on conversations the way she did beforehand. 

I helped my mother, two of my aunts, and an older cousin when her dementia got severe. At first, it was difficult to go through this on our own, while being able to juggle work and school. We realized that this was going to be a challenge without getting professional help. Eventually, we decided to seek help from a home care program where a couple CNAs could come to our house on scheduled days. This truly helped us so much and we are forever grateful for the support. There are amazing CNAs who work hard to care for different patients. Although the job is not easy, they continue with stride. 

There were still moments when it was overwhelming. Until someone directly contributes to the caretaking, they will never know what it's like. Sometimes my family was exhausted and depressed or frustrated. You lose sleep and can feel hopeless over the fact this does not get better. On the other hand, my grandmother went through a hard time. She loved to cook, host gatherings, go out, and clean. As the disease kept growing, she started losing her independence. Seeing dementia through that perspective can be heartbreaking. 

Despite the highs and lows, it was a valuable lesson to learn. It teaches you to appreciate what you do have and make sure to take care of yourself physically and mentally. No matter what, you know that there is support from those you love. I hope this post relates to someone out there who's gone through a similar experience. Let me know what were your coping mechanisms and I'll see you next week

Sincerely,

Jasmine