Member-only story
Recovering Joy (My Mom’s Alzheimer’s)
Soon after moving to the area, Mom and I met a woman who was anxious to be of service to my mother. I was just beginning to learn that Dementia steals the soul’s light, leaving its victim in a lonely placed called Confusion. My mother, having fallen victim to its darkness, had been ravaged by its byproduct- depression.
Our new friend liked helping folks recover their joy, and joy is just what my mother lacked. A few days after meeting my mom, she had a plan. She called me with research and an offer in hand.
“Does your mom like dogs or cats?”
“She likes cats. In fact, she was adopted by the neighbor’s cat years ago before we moved,” I recalled. It was then that my friend shared her research on a new trend, robotic therapy pets for seniors.
“I’d like to buy your mom one if you think that’s okay.”
“Ooohkaay…” I said. But inside I thought, Damn. I was a bit burnt out on all my labor-intensive efforts to help my mom. I was too taken up with the war to look at what seemed like another futile skirmish. Nothing had helped for more than a day, making me skeptical of undertaking another project.
Have you ever been so deep in your problems that you couldn’t find your way to the surface when hope finally arrived? Well, that was me.
