Comments for My Demented Mom http://mydementedmom.com 5 million Americans suffer from Dementia. My mom is one of them. A site for young adult caregivers struggling and coping with "the long goodbye." Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:30:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ Comment on Mom in a Onesie…. by Kathy Ritchie http://mydementedmom.com/2012/01/29/mom-in-a-onesie/#comment-1360 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:30:37 +0000 https://mydementedmom.wordpress.com/?p=1049#comment-1360 Thank you. It is me

]]> Comment on Walking Grief… Or Coping With the Act of Dying by Kathy Ritchie http://mydementedmom.com/2012/01/13/walking-grief-or-coping-with-the-act-of-dying/#comment-1359 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:30:11 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=1022#comment-1359 Thank you for your note and support… I definitely can use it now more than ever…

]]> Comment on Walking Grief… Or Coping With the Act of Dying by Stephanie Mills http://mydementedmom.com/2012/01/13/walking-grief-or-coping-with-the-act-of-dying/#comment-1356 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:05:30 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=1022#comment-1356 I almost feel guilty. You so beautifully spoke the words I said to myself so many times….my dad passed into a better place Sept. 12, 1999 after nearly 6 years of what I could only observe and endure with him…the very slow and heart breaking thing that robbed him of his memories, his strength, his wisdom and ultimately the recognition of daughter and….sadly but mercifully his life. My guilt is that it was such a merciful thing when he passed…It sounds so bad…I dream of him when I really need my daddy…miss him…I walked the good walk…god bless you

]]> Comment on Mom in a Onesie…. by Linda S. http://mydementedmom.com/2012/01/29/mom-in-a-onesie/#comment-1348 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:52:20 +0000 https://mydementedmom.wordpress.com/?p=1049#comment-1348 Kathy, I’m grateful for your contining connection via your blog as well as your sense of humor, the absurd and/or irony. Also, I’m guessing that’s a picture of you next to your mom.
Best, Linda

]]> Comment on A Letter to Demi Moore and Other Exhausted Celebs… by Kathy Ritchie http://mydementedmom.com/2012/01/26/a-letter-to-demi-moore-and-other-exhausted-celebs/#comment-1343 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:30:33 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=1037#comment-1343 Everyone has their own troubles, I agree… and it’s all relative, but sometimes it behooves you to step back and look at the bigger picture…. the blessings blurred into the chaos. however, i stand by what i said in the blog… and frankly, i have a hard time sympathizing with a multimillionaire who is going through a bad split… most of us have been there, minus the millionaire part, and lived to tell the tale without skipping a beat, ok, maybe a day of work.

caregivers are suffering real pain and there is no respite for them, no hope, no light at the end of the tunnel, no hope.

i think that juxtaposition is something to think about… it crossed my mind so i wrote about it…

re a cure, I don’t think we’ll have a cure for this disease, we don’t have one for aids, cancer, asthma, add, adhd, depression, anxiety, etc… and so i’ll keep writing to make people aware of this disease and how hideous it is… i applaud your choices and at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself, your choices should sit well with your soul…. you should know, my mom does know who i am. she may not know my name, but she knows im her daughter. she screams when she sees me and showers me in kisses – sometimes its a lot even for me. i owe my mother a great deal but i do what i do not stand by her out of guilt. i have my moments, moment where i feel trapped, moments when i want to call it a day; but i do this because i need to be there with her. i wont leave her alone. i wont run from this. that’s not how i roll. i believe balance is possible, its not easy, thats for sure and im sorry you could not find it. but its possible.

anyway, your points are noted. something to think about.

]]> Comment on Date My Dad or Bless the Caregiver… by Kathy Ritchie http://mydementedmom.com/2011/04/13/date-my-dad-or-bless-the-caregiver/#comment-1342 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:14:43 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=855#comment-1342 my dad is not dating now. i think right now he’s just grieving her placement so its been difficult. its not an easy situation thats for sure; i mean, who wants to encourage their parent to date while the other parent is still alive, in another room? but, it is what is. thanks for following the blog. i’m glad its been helpful. i appreciate the support!

]]> Comment on Date My Dad or Bless the Caregiver… by Kathy Ritchie http://mydementedmom.com/2011/04/13/date-my-dad-or-bless-the-caregiver/#comment-1341 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:13:03 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=855#comment-1341 Its not easy thats for sure… keep encouraging him; its such a weird convo to have but its one of those things… only in our shoes right?

]]> Comment on A Letter to Demi Moore and Other Exhausted Celebs… by Kathy Ritchie http://mydementedmom.com/2012/01/26/a-letter-to-demi-moore-and-other-exhausted-celebs/#comment-1340 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:12:05 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=1037#comment-1340 Thanks! :)

]]> Comment on Date My Dad or Bless the Caregiver… by Sissileigh http://mydementedmom.com/2011/04/13/date-my-dad-or-bless-the-caregiver/#comment-1339 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:45:43 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=855#comment-1339 I am going though this right now with my dad. I told him that none of the kids mind if he dates, we just want him to be happy. I doubt LB knows what he is going though with that thoughtless comment about an escape clause. I feel like my mom is the opposite of a ghost. Her body is there but her soul has moved on.

Dementia hit my mom at a young age, and she is not a companion for my dad anymore. She doesn’t know who he is half the time. Just having some one to chat to about TV show they watch together would be good. But I know he is young and has other needs. It’s not like he plans to divorce my mom. As you said “Someone who understands and supports his situation.”

He feels guilty even thinking about dating, but my mom wouldn’t know the difference.

]]> Comment on Date My Dad or Bless the Caregiver… by Megan http://mydementedmom.com/2011/04/13/date-my-dad-or-bless-the-caregiver/#comment-1338 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:57:02 +0000 http://mydementedmom.com/?p=855#comment-1338 Kathy,

I am asking the same question right now, and I agree with you. I want my dad to date again too. My mom can no longer be a partner or a wife to him.. I mean, she tried to eat cat food today. He deserves to be happy and I believe she would want him to find companionship. It will be difficult to find someone understanding of his situation.. but I have hope.

You posted this entry in April. I am wondering if your dad has given any thought to dating again since then or if I has met anyone? My situation is remarkably similar to yours and I have been following your blog religiously since I discovered it. Thank you so much.

]]>