Aging and Memory Loss: Hope for the Caregiver

"My wife Marian and I were married 57 years. It was a happy marriage. Then she experienced the catastrophic symptoms of Alzheimer's. She locked the doors and hid the keys. She saw strange people in our home. She got confused-even on familiar roads. Food did not taste good. She talked to her mother who had died years ago. She thought we had money problems. She couldn't use the remote on our TV. She got agitated when someone disagreed. She would not go to see the doctor. She did not feel well. She couldn't put words in the right place. She needed help with her bath. She lost her appetite."While caring for his wife, Marian, who died of this disease, James Clark became involved with the Alzheimer's Association. Here, he relates his experiences of two decades as a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association and shares what he has learned about caring for the loved one and for oneself as caregiver.