Member-only story
Harbingers of Loss (My Mom’s Alzheimer’s)
Looking back, I remember when my mother first started losing her sense of smell. I was horrified. At this point Mom was apparently healthy in mind and body. I saw no reason to concede even an inch of that health. The doctor was unconcerned. Mom accepted it as a new annoyance in her life. It wasn’t long before she started to comment that her sense of taste was diminished as well. I was almost frantic, pointing out to Mom the health and safety risks, not to mention the loss of pleasure, associated with the loss of two of her five senses. Her hearing worked, and still works well but my words were an unheard sound to her.
I took her to an acupuncturist who suggested simple home remedies to stimulate the return of both senses. Mom showed no interest in following through. I wonder now if malaise, her dull acceptance of increasing loss, is a sign of dementia. I offered lemons to stimulate taste and scented items for her to identify. She agreed with the premise but remained unmotivated to pursue any recourse.
I had no idea at the time that this may have been a harbinger of Alzheimer’s. That was several years ago. Now I sit at the table watching her move some foods around in her mouth, having little interest in chewing or swallowing them. I can’t help but think that the loss of fullness of taste and smell are contributing to her declining interest in even…
