June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month. Approximately 12-18% of people age 60 or older are living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI can be an early stage of the disease continuum including Alzheimer’s.
Our colleagues Tammy Bouker and Lisa Read recently lost their father, Ray Kaiser, from Alzheimer’s disease. The effect of the disease on families and loved ones are eloquently stated by the words written by their mother, Rose:
Death from Alzheimer’s has been called “the long goodbye”, and for good reason. Unlike other terminal diseases, Alzheimer’s wears away an individual’s personality, along with their cognitive skills and memory, until they draw their last breath.
As with Ray, near the end they no longer speak, and the traits, tendencies and abilities the person had have long since departed. I miss Ray’s sense of humor the most.
In a sense, the person with Alzheimer’s disease becomes a stranger to family and friends. This fact changes the grieving process for those left behind. Ray’s loss was a gradual one for our family.
Grief is the heaviest burden that those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease must endure. We mourned Ray’s loss before he died, and now have this secondary grief dealing with his physical loss.
To learn more about the fight against Alzheimer’s
visit alz.org