By Alex Witchel — 2013
When my mom developed dementia, my dad tried to deny it and I tried to fix it. We both failed.
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Legal and medical experts encourage people recently diagnosed with a serious illness—particularly one that is expected to cause declining mental and physical health—to examine and update their financial and health care arrangements as soon as possible.
Anger, confusion, and sadness are a few symptoms a person with dementia may experience regularly. Even though you know your loved one’s dementia behaviors are symptoms of a disease and not intentional, dealing with them is often emotionally and physically challenging.
Last week was the one-year anniversary of the beginning of my husband’s health crisis. As I gaze at the permanent handicap placard and at him sleeping, once again, on the couch, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned this past year.
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With each diagnosis, knowing her life hung in the balance, she was “stunned, then anguished” and astonished by “how much energy it takes to get from the bad news to actually starting on the return path to health.”
Linda Fox of Brooklyn donated a lobe of her liver to save her husband, whose own liver had failed. The transplant took, and Ms. Fox said although recovery from the surgery was no picnic, she would willingly do it again.
Understanding how and why can help people cope with the disorder.
An autism diagnosis affects the whole family. Explore ways to help parents, siblings, and extended family to live well with and support an autistic family member.
If you have ADHD, you might find it hard to date, make friends, or parent. That’s partly because good relationships require you to be aware of other people's thoughts and feelings. But ADHD can make it hard for you to pay attention or react the right way.
Forgiving someone is a way of letting go of old baggage so that you can heal and move forward with your life. It benefits both the person who forgives and the offender because it can allow both people to let go of past resentments.
Conflict doesn’t mean the end of your remarriage, and can actually make it stronger. There are always going to be disagreements; you cannot avoid them entirely. What you can do, however, is become skilled at recovering from disputes by talking about your perspectives afterwards.
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