On aging In my early 70s, not so very long ago, I was going on [pretty] wild Spin Rides at a gym on W49th. It’s an experience I can’t imagine having now, although I can recall it vividly. The Spin room had a screen on which were projected travel destinations. Some were real and hilly.Continue reading “Sidebar”
Author Archives: TheRealTamara
On the side
Things happen as we get engrossed and distracted by caregiving. I managed to misplace (a polite way to say lose) our marriage certificate. I feel a lot better about it since Googling that replacement can be done easily and online. Looking for the missing item also gave me an opportunity to sort through documents. The rearrangementContinue reading “On the side”
Where our lives diverge
It’s another one of those losses. We once went to movies, watched TV series, and enjoyed outings together. Burt would have enjoyed The Marvelous Mrs Maisel with me. Now I’m seeing it as respite when he’s asleep. He can no longer follow any plot. He’s way past the point where he would get the humor.Continue reading “Where our lives diverge”
You know the phrase
I love him to pieces. You Know that feeling. You’veSaid it before. Now, I alsoSay, “I love him in pieces.”As he falls away, stumblesIn his mind, loses his way.Reasoning is gone, his andMine; I, too, am less rationalI, too, am lost or losing myPath forward. I, too, am soEmotional that I can cry in AnContinue reading “You know the phrase”
Psychosis
Cognitive function, executive function, bradyfrenia, autonomic system, bradykinesia. There are so many impairments as Lewy bodies take over, and our loved one declines. Psychoses. There’s a scary word. And those are the hardest aspects of LBD to manage. I watch out for falls. Hold onto him for dear life sometimes to maneuver him onto aContinue reading “Psychosis”
Stay calm
My role as a caregiver to a person with [Lewy Body] dementia demands I get acquainted with psychosis. A calm and contained demeanor is preferred to one in which I freak out. In a tour of an exhibit in which art and psychiatry crossed paths, it became clear to me that the psychotic makes meContinue reading “Stay calm”
The impact of dance
Dr. Julia Basso studies the effect dancing and movement have on brain health. She says (and I quote loosely) that even watching dance has a positive impact. Watch this YouTube video interview for more from Dr. Basso on what she has documented about the healing power of movement. Full disclosure Dr. Basso is my dearContinue reading “The impact of dance”
Burt’s on top of it
The “job search” seems to have ended in a mystery job. Mystery to me, at least, but it is vague to Burt as well. He wants me to get him business cards (albeit they’re round, as he describes them). He assigns numbers to his staff, and I am #1 tomorrow, then #2 the next day,Continue reading “Burt’s on top of it”
Going Up
Burt is cognitively more engaged these last couple of weeks. The rescheduled morning meds might be partially responsible. Of course, I am grading on a curve. Burt’s daughter asked me about the multiple wives over the weekend. This reminded me that it appeared that he recognized me more often. There are still occasions when heContinue reading “Going Up”
Still working it out
The dominant theories right now include He’s too warm [makes me feel a tad guilty] He’s bored [that applies even more to staying home] He’s genuinely afraid our aide won’t come back for him He feels trapped in the wheelchair [a situation in which he has even less agency than on his walker] A mispreceptionContinue reading “Still working it out”
