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My grandmother is currently 95 years old.  She lives with us.  She is a wonderful person, and has done so much for me during my lifetime and while I was growing up.  We used to live next door to her, and we had a small gate in between the two yards; so we used to slip over to her house to go and visit all the time.  

She had an enormous yard with lots of fruit trees full of beautiful peaches.  One thing I can remember very clearly was these big square tables with the white nets, where she dried the fruit when there were too much fruit to eat.  In her kitchen on the top shelf she had these bottles full of peaches, that we were not allowed to touch. 

                          

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Every Sunday, after lunch, she opened one or two of these bottles of peaches, so that we could eat as many peaches as we like.  She also had this outside house where we used to play house.  Inside were two beds and we used to play there for hours and hours.  All the children in the area used to come over to play at her house. 

 

                                                                

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Oh..... and the chickens.  I mustn't forget the chickens!  She once had a delivery of 200 odd little chicks.  They were free range chickens and walked all over the yard.  They were so cute when they arrived....little did I know that we were actually going to eat those cute little chickens when they grow up.  

I will never forget the first time I saw my grandmother chop off a chicken's head. I couldn't understand this and cried terribly,  but after she explained the process I understood better.  (Perhaps this is the reason why I don't eat chicken today....lol) 

                          

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She was a wonderful grandmother and I will never ever forget that part of my childhood. We used to be carefree and safe.  My grandmother was always there for us and when I went to study at university, I used to go and visit her often. 

By that time my grandfather had died and she sold her house and moved to a old age home. She was the queen of the palace!  She lived alone in a one bedroom townhouse and still cooked for herself.  She had lots of friends of similar age and they were all over the place.  I think she enjoyed staying alone and just having the chance to only worry about herself for a change.   

In 2006 I went to visit my grandmother for a weekend.  I noticed that she kept on forgetting things.  She changed her whole routine and did not sleep much at night.  I was worried.  Something about my grandmother changed.  She was not the person she used to be.....  

I spoke to my parents when I got home and explained the situation to them.  They decided that she had to come and visit them for a while so they could keep an eye on her.  My father is an only child and was obviously worried.  So during my next holiday, I fetched my grandmother and brought her down to my parents house.  She has lived there ever since.  We decided to sell her townhouse and one weekend my husband and I went to pack up her house.  

You wouldn't believe everything that we found.  She had money hidden everywhere.  She has been drinking medication for her blood pressure for years now and we found bottles and bottles of these pills everywhere that she forgot to take.  We could not believe everything that we found, but we knew that the person living in that house was not longer the grandmother that we knew.  

Nowadays she doesn't even remember her own name.  She can't dress herself.  She often seems lost and gets frightened by anything.  She still reads, but she reads the same page over and over again.  She can't go to the bathroom herself, without the risk of falling.  She can't crochet or knit anymore as she gets mixed up.  She can't build puzzles anymore, which she enjoyed so much.  She often screams in the night because she doesn't know where she is. She asks for food constantly and believe that we don't feed her - Often with the plate of food in her hands.  She has become a child again....

If I had to compare her memory and her actions with a child, I believe that she is on the same level as a three year old.  My grandmother has dementia. 

What is dementia?

Dementia is a term used for a decline in mental ability.  Sometimes Dementia is called Alzheimer's.  This decline in mental ability is so severe that it has an impact on everyday life.  Dementia is not one specific disease, but rather a range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory and thinking skills.  Dementia is often confused with senility which is incorrect.  Serious mental decline is NOT a normal part of aging.   

What are the symptoms of dementia?

The number one symptom is memory loss.  Loss of communication skills and the ability to focus on one thing is another symptom.  Dementia patients do not have the ability to pay attention to anything for a long period and they don't have the ability to reason about anything.  They often have a problem with their short term memory and can forget what they did ten minutes ago, but often remember things about their past.  They also have a problem with visual perception and needs help when walking because they might fall down.     

Early signs of dementia?

Forgetfulness like forgetting special dates, and asking the same thing over and over again.  Often dementia patients forget to take their medication.  Some people may experience trouble remembering numbers and forget to pay bills and is in general much slower in completing daily tasks like cooking. They often forget what they were busy with.  

Dementia patients often confuse times and places, and often gets lost, because they forget who they are, why they were there or even how they got there. 

Having a problem with vision is often a sign as they have difficulty reading as well as judging distance.  Dementia patients should not drive anywhere.  

People with dementia often have difficulty following a conversation and they do not communicate the way they would normally have done.  They often repeat themselves and sometimes forget certain words or call things by the wrong names. 

A person with dementia often puts things in unusual places like putting the phone in the fridge. (This however doesn't indicate that you have dementia, because we have all done that)

A person with dementia may pay less attention to themselves and often goes for days without bathing or cleaning themselves. They may also be confused, suspicious and anxious.  They also get easily upset.     

What are the treatments for dementia?

There is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer's.  Certain drugs may help improve memory or behavioral symptoms. Researchers are constantly searching for new treatments to change the course of the disease and to improve the quality of life for these patients. 

                                                                     

Conclusion:

Dementia is a very sad disease. Your whole life is lost and the quality of life, is not what it is supposed to be.  You become a burden to others as caregivers or family members often gets irritated with a person with dementia.  All that I can say is that we are all going to be old one day, as this is not something that we can bypass.  If you know anyone that has this disease, please be patient with them.  They do not realize that they are a burden and they don't realize what they do.  

If you have time, please watch this video attached.  This is an advertisement that was created by John Lewis.  I cry every time I watch this! 

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