Any touching stories from Alzhiemer Care Givers?

Question

I care for my son in laws mother full time. God has used her to touch my heart in so many ways. Recently I was walking her to the kitchen and in my own tiredness I was pushing her from the back to keep her on track, she stopped in her tracks, and said, " Honey, please go a little slower, my little wings just wont fly that fast.".....I was immediately humbled and asked her and God to forgive my impatience. Later I felt a big smile come over my face, as I thought about Gods sense of humor and the way He helps us to see out own faults. With a hand of love he gives us a moment of laughter when our own abilities are at their lowest. How great God is to speak to us in just the right manner at just the right time!
Please share your story......

Answer 1

When my mother was about 86 she broke her hip and during the xrays etc they found out that she had a very aggressive type of bowel cancer. She was asked if she wanted an operation and said 'no' ..but of course she would never remember this. I went to see her in the hospital and she was quite immobilized because of the broken hip and her abdomen was very distended. She, first of all said to me "where am I" ..I said 'well, mom you're in the hospital'. She then said to me "hospital?--why am I here?" I was quite ready to discuss the broken hip and the terminal cancer causing her abdomen to be so distended...So I said ' Well, mom. First of all you fell and you broke your hip...." She quickly interjected.."Thank God! --- I thought I was pregnant."

Answer 2

That is just about the sweetest thing I've heard. A 'do I laugh or cry moment' I imagine. Bless your heart for caring so much and the work you do. My great Aunt suffers from it and on the odd occasion I have seen the briefest moment of lucidity sparkle in her eyes when she briefly recognises somebody or remembers something from the past. It's heart breaking and heart warming all at once. The most memorable story I have of her is all heart breaking though. Her sister who was in her 90s died a few years back and the whole way through the funeral, she kept having to ask her son who it was that died. Every time he told her the grief hit her full force. It was truly a terrible thing, as if funerals aren't hard enough for everybody. Keep up the good work and stay open to the smile when it is upon you =)

Answer 3

I am the caregiver of my 85 year old mother who is in the later stages of AD. My Mother always spoke her mind, but now she says what she thinks and feels. I have a neighbor who is actually about 300 to 325 pounds and she thinks she can get into a size 2, well my Mom caught her bent over picking up the newspaper on the porch the other morning and she told her very straight forward and very sincere, "baby don't get on any body's scale" and then she walked away. Both my husband, older daughter and myself heard the comment, it was funny as hell. Now my neighbor knows she better not say anything negative to my Mom, but you heard her suck her teeth and stomp away. While sometimes my Mom considers me as the neighbor that feeds her, then there are times she tells me I am a God send child and she is blessed to have me. I love my Mother and will try to do for her until I can do no more. God Bless.

Answer 4

I was doing respite care once a week for a lady who cared for two Alzheimers men in her home. One day the radio was on to a religious channel and a sweet song came on. I could tell that Mr. Mackenzie's heart was touched. It felt like there were angels in the room, and I'm sure there were. I knew that five minutes later he would not remember (actually, the "magic" held for almost ten!), but it really impressed me that "now" is really all any of us has, and God loved Mr Mackenzie and smiled at his worship as much as anybody's.

Answer 5

My mom has been in a nursing home for over two years with Alzheimer's. My husband and I have gone through some awful things with her, starting before her license was suspended in 1999.

She went through a period where she was so frightened of what was happening to her that she became mean and ungrateful towards us, saying hateful things that sent me home in tears more often than not.

Now, as I watch her and the other patients decline, I am reminded that they are like little children again. Most wear diapers, sleep in cribs (beds with rails), can't dress or feed themselves, and eventually loose their ability to express themselves in words.

A few weeks ago my husband and I were at her bedside just talking to her. She couldn't responsed well, her language was very quiet and broken. She has become so hard to understand.

Suddenly she broke into a musical! She was making up songs, singing loud and clearly the words she couldn't say by talking. At first we just looked at each other, then we broke into laughter, then she started laughing and singing more.

There is no more negativity left in her life. She is always so happy to see visitors. In fact, she told me that she wants two more babies just like me because I turned out so good, but she has to find a man first, of course.

Answer 6

A man would come and visit his wife every day at a nursing home I worked at. She was completely consumed by the disease and gave no outward sign that she recognized anyone or any thing. An infant in a 90 year old body. Yet he came and had lunch every day. Some days he would bring her something, A flower or pretty stone he had found. She never seemed to know. Someone commented one day how wonderful it was for him to come every day without fail and went on to say "she doesn't even remember who you are." He never faltered at the unkind remark, but looked this person in the face and said "I remember who she is."

Answer 7

was taking a Humans Services Class in Alzheimer's and we had a special guest and his wife. the guest was a 50 year Mason and a Past Master while his wife was Eastern Star. I was the Worshipful Master of my Masonic Lodge and was an Eastern Star member as well. I can tell you that this Brother knew his Masonic Work in spite of his Alzheimer condition. We talked non verbally throughout the entire class period. After the class was over I went to his wife and explained what we were doing and that he still remembered his Masonic Ritual. She thanked me for explaining what the situation was as he had never acted that way when visiting other classes.

Answer 8

I'm not sure if this qualifies as touching, but I'll never forget the lady. While I was working in the hospital, they would frequently admit alzheimers patients as a way of evaluating them to determine what place was best for them. I was assigned to one particular lady for a week. I would sit with her while she ate her meals, mostly to make sure she really did eat. We would talk about all kinds of things. One day she patted me on the hand and asked how long I had been there.
I told her I had been there 12 years. She looked at me in amazement and said, "My goodness, havent they figured out what's wrong with you yet?" It made me think.

Answer 9

confident. All religions have shown miracles and a great variety of strategies to prayers. A Buddhist priest prayed over the water grant for a city in Japan and those with him truly stated the water replace into sparkling. there have been experiments performed on prayer over a distance of a million,000 miles made with the aid of people who did now no longer have faith something. those prayers have been replied. God is so beautiful. you do now no longer would desire to be 'in' to have prayers replied. i'm so grateful for this.

Answer 10

God bless you for your wonderful, kind, compassionate heart. I don't have any stories of dealing with an Alzheimer's family member, but I do have memories of caring for my grandmother and father once they became older and unable to care for themselves.
Its such a blessing to care for loved once because they cared for us when we were young and unable to do for ourselves. My family is gone on to glory now but I will always cherish the memories.
God is going to bless you for your kind heart. I know that at times our flesh gets a little impatient because we may have other things on our agenda, but just remember that God rewards kind deeds and you my friend are building up many treasures in heaven.

God bless.