Garden"
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"In the Garden" |
 by Carolyn Haynali
Be kind and loving to me that's how I would have treated you. Remember I was once someone's parent or spouse I had a life and a dream for the future. Speak to me, I can hear you even if I don't understand what you are saying. Speak to me of things in my past of which I can still relate. Be considerate of me, my days are such a struggle. Think of my feelings because I still have them and can feel pain. Treat me with respect because I would have treated you that way. Think of how I was before I got Alzheimer's; I was full of life, I had a life, laughed and loved you. Think of how I am now, My disease distorts my thinking, my feelings, and my ability to respond, but I still love you even if I can't tell you. Think about my future because I used too. Remember I was full of hope for the future just like you are now. Think how it would be to have things locked in your mind and can't let them out. I need you to understand and not blame me, but Alzheimer's. I still need the compassion and the touching and most of all I still need you to love me. Keep me in your prayers because I am between life and death. The love you give will be a blessing from God and both of us will live forever. How you live and what you do today will always be remembered in the heart of the Alzheimer's Patient.
Carolyn's husband, Chuck, has Alzheimer's. She was his full-time caregiver until he was placed in a |
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