How to say Good-bye to your Mother?
Last week was a bit difficult.... My mom passed on. Actually, what was more difficult was the week before when I was down to stay with my Dad and Mom was in the hospital. But that is towards the end ... My mother has had Alzheimer's disease for many years. We believe she first started to have memory loss issues when she was about 60.... just a few years after she finished her Master's Degree and passed her certification to be a Registered Dietitian. Whoever made up that stuff about exercise, diet and mental stimulation to ward off memory loss missed the mark with my Mom! She had done everything right: maintained a healthy weight, ate really well, walked daily, and was certainly mentally active! But by the time she was 65 she had serious memory issues, and was diagnosed with dementia - probably Alzheimer's - at just age 68. The last 9 years were pretty awful for her - and for us! She had been in the Memory Care unit at a nursing home for the past 5 years.