Description

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*Choosing home or care unit for patient with Alzheimer Disease. *Living at home verses living in a nursing home with Alzheimer disease. *Struggles faced by the family of Alzheimer's patients. *Characteristics of Alzheimer's disease. *What we can do to help cure Alzheimer's. My mother-in-law Betty, age 91, suffered from stage six Alzheimer's disease. My father, age 92, knew in his heart of hearts the best place for them both to live be in the house in which they grew old together. My siblings wondered if an assisted living home might be better for both Dad and Betty. I decided it best for me to drive to Texas from my home in South Carolina to decide for myself which lifestyle I thought would be best for my parent. I was told my parents had three caregivers. During the week a care giver arrived at their home at 9:00 a.m. and stayed through 6:00 p.m. fixing lunch and dinner and attending to their needs. On week nights another care giver arrived at 9:00 p.m. and left at 7:30 a.m. after making breakfast. Weekends I heard were iffy. Most weekends a caregiver would arrive and spend Saturday and Sunday nights, sometimes no one would show up at all. My parents were alone in their home for many hours each week. I decided to stay in Texas at least a month, maybe two. I wanted to spend time with my parents and make an aware decision as to where I thought they should live. A freak happenstance, a mistake, threw me into a memory-impaired unit for a month. God placed me right where I needed to be and I want to share what I learned.

About the Author

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I was born in Weatherford, Texas, across the street from my grandparent's house. My roots, our four children and thirteen grandchildren live in or around Fort Worth. Texas is my home, regardless of where I hang my hat. During my life I've experienced many accomplishments and received all kinds of kudos from one source or another which brought about sound restful sleep, free of worry. I've also made bad decisions, done stupid things and live with various regrets which leaves me awake at night tossing and turning. From these experiences I tell my stories. I presently live in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. I've written and published the following two books in the past two years and have collaborated with authors of, Coastal Author's Network, to write and publish an anthology as listed below. My newest short story is about a real life experience, explained below. Over my lifetime I've written numerous articles and stories that have been published in various magazines and newspapers. 1.Women of the Plantation - I've been told by historical buffs this book is a must read. Have started writing the second book in the trilogy. 2.My story of Pawleys Island, Told through Art - The paintings in this book are my artwork, accompanied by personal stories. 3.Goin' Postal - A trilogy of stories written by various authors telling about retiring to coastal communities. 4.Alzheimer Patient, Like Me - A short story of a mistake, a freak happenstance that threw me into a memory-impaired unit for a month. This story is about what I learned. Hope my stories give you sweet dreams. Kay Nelson, Author and Artist