My dad’s behavior began to change in 2010. He was always a quiet, reserved man, but his demeanor transformed and his communication lessened. As a family, we became very concerned when Dad began to forget things, like his route home from church or his picking up Mom from the train. He became withdrawn and seemed depressed. Changes were happening in his behavior. My dad is forever changed, and so is the entire Ziemba family.
Dad’s behavior began to change in 2010. He was always a quiet, reserved man, but his demeanor transformed and his communication lessened. As a family, we became very concerned when Dad began to forget things, like his route home from church or his picking up Mom from the train. He was not just quiet, but he was actually not verbalizing much at all. Dad became withdrawn and seemed depressed. Changes were happening in his behavior: he was eating off of others’ plates, providing unusual answers to questions, ignoring the ringing telephone, misplacing household items. My brothers and I urged my mom to take Dad to the doctor. After a physical examination and a battery of memory tests, the diagnosis was Alzheimer’s.
Since 2011 and that diagnosis, Mom and my brother Jon have been Dad’s caretakers. Up until about a year ago, Dad was able to use the toilet on his own, move about with just simple verbal queues, put on his pajamas, and provide the answer of “Yeah,” even when on most occasions he likely meant “No.”
So much has changed in a year.
Dad hasn’t prepared a meal on his own, chosen his own clothes, dressed himself, bathed himself, used the bathroom on his own, spoken a sentence, used the telephone, gotten a glass of water for himself, opened the refrigerator, shaved himself, said “Hello” in over a year.
We are convinced that further professional analysis and examination will provide a slightly different diagnosis, perhaps Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). We are still waiting on this to be official, though.
My dad is forever changed, and so is the entire Ziemba family.
This 2016 Chicago Walk to End Alzheimer’s will by my fourth Walk. Why do I walk? I walk because I am convinced there is a cure. I walk because I am convinced that further research is required and that we’re on the brink of a major medical breakthrough. I walk because I demand both action by and funding from policymakers. I walk because it’s a way to bond with others who are experiencing what we are. I walk because it’s meaningful. I walk to be part of a community. I walk to raise awareness, to advocate, for this cause.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php