Pet Therapy 101

Pet Therapy 101

Mom always loved animals and babies.  Of course real babies were scarce at her assisted living residence, but every few weeks a Pet Therapy service would arrive and bring a variety of animal visitors.  She loved her stuffed animals, but when the real ones would...
Mom Throws the F-Bomb.  Really?

Mom Throws the F-Bomb. Really?

When my sweet, good natured, happy Mom was in the moderate stage of Alzheimer’s disease, occasionally she would behave in ways that I would have thought impossible.  One day I got a call from the manager at her assisted living home.  Mom had gotten frustrated...
Smelling Salts, Anyone?

Smelling Salts, Anyone?

Well, who knew that Mom’s Alzheimer’s disease would lead to something called Vasovagal Syncope.  Thanks to Google, I found out that Vasovagal Syncope is the medical term for fainting or passing out. My husband always kids me and asks me where I went to...
Talking Turkey about Thanksgiving

Talking Turkey about Thanksgiving

Mom loved Thanksgiving.  Even during her Alzheimer’s disease, she enjoyed the family time and traditions.  That’s why I found it particularly curious as to why our family had to stop taking her to the Thanksgiving feasts at her assisted living facility....
Here Kitty Kitty!

Here Kitty Kitty!

There were some lessons that I just couldn’t grasp.  One of those lessons was that learning to love and take care of a pet can be easy.  That is, unless you have Alzheimer’s disease. In the early stage of Mom’s disease, we had two unsuccessful...