As many of you know I wrote a piece about Caregiver Stress — you can read it in Relationship Columns. I heard from a reader who has also been through the difficulty of caring for a parent with dementia. Today I am highlighting his book and bringing you a link to his pages.
Bob Tell’s site has a wealth of information and resource links. He knows what we all eventually learn –after you cry, you laugh, and experience the little joys that you can find.
A friend once complained that after visiting her mother, the woman would phone her and ask, “When are you coming to visit?”
“My mother doesn’t even remember the little moments of laughter we shared today.”
To which one of our colleagues said, “But in the moment, she was happy.”
And perhaps that is our responsibility:
- Live in the moment
- Give to those whose memory is slipping away
- Be grateful for happiness you can give and receive
A bit about Bob from his web pages. “For sixteen years, as his Mom’s mental and physical health deteriorated, Bob Tell personally experienced the caregiver burnout that he writes about in “Dementia Diary, A Caregiver’s Journal.” During this period, he would have welcomed the kind of caregiver support he provides in this book, support that was unavailable from a male author until now.” Caregivers and Laughter
THANK YOU, BOB, FOR CONTACTING ME.
Watch for my column in next Sunday’s Providence Jounal www.projo.com on the Contributor’s page. A happy memory from someone whose memory is challenged by Alzheimer’s.
Copyright 2009 Rita Watson