Welcome, I’m Len. For eight years, I was a dementia caregiver as my wife and I faced her battle with Alzheimer’s together. This is our journey.
In this blog, I reflect on my involvement in her journey. I offer no advice or wisdom, as your experience with dementia will differ from mine. However, by sharing my experiences, I hope to provide some practical help or comfort.
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Caregivers the Silent Guardians and Unsung Heroes
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My wife Tina,
now lost to Alzheimer’s, was a gentle soul whose smile would light up a room and brighten a day.
Tina possessed great strength, courage and wisdom that she modestly hid from the world.
Tina’s Story
People tell me they would have liked to have known Tina before Alzheimer’s. In an attempt to bring her essence to life, I have woven her story into a fantasy, imagining where she might be now, and shared it here. Tina’s Story
My Tribute
Who I am today is defined by my life with Tina: our love, our adventures, our journey, and her battle with dementia.
This is my tribute to an incredible woman and to her equally incredible caregivers who chaperoned us through the final years of her journey.
I am humbled and enriched by their love.
Staying Grounded
On one visit to Tina, I couldn’t find her on the dementia unit, so a few of her caregivers helped me search.
We eventually found her in another resident’s room, sorting rubbish bins. When she saw me, she shuffled toward me as fast as she could, arms wide open with a huge smile.
Behind me, I heard Elle, a young dementia caregiver, say, ‘Ah… I wish someone would greet me like that one day.‘
In that moment, I realised that most of the people I depended on each day were searching for what I had been blessed to find. Though it was slipping away, it could never truly be taken from me. Self-pity dissolved, giving way to a powerful sense of perspective.
