Every so often, we just need to take a deep breath
It Is What It Is
It is better to acknowledge that dementia’s cords are tight than to fight against it.
Retirement gives us surprises. As we age into our 70s and 80s, get ready for change. One change I didn’t expect was my spouse having dementia.
So, I attend a memory café.
We meet once every month for a hour-and-a-half gabfest about all things dementia. Both caregivers and those having this debilitating disease attend.
She took a deep breath and said, “It’s what it is.”
I’ll call her Betty. She’s 81 and diagnosed many years ago with Alzheimer’s disease. Betty confesses that her short-term memory is a mess. Here’s the example she gave. She put the coffee pod in the one-cup coffee maker but didn’t put the cup under the spout. What a mess in the kitchen! That’s when she sighed. It is what it is.
In her words, Betty didn’t surrender to her diagnosis but determined to make the best of it. Because she acknowledges what she has. She has been able to help many others who are in the same struggle.
As a caregiver to my wife, I read, listen, and attend meetings to help myself navigate through this journey. It’s not only the…
