JOAN’S BLOG – MON/TUE, JANUARY 18/19, 2010 – EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT – THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PERSON WITH DEMENTIA COMES TO THE ALZHEIMER SPOUSE

This website was set up for support and information for the unique issues faced by spouses/partners  of Alzheimer/Dementia patients. Issues of loss and loneliness that are completely different from the loss felt by an adult child caring for a parent. It is now the #1 site on the Internet that deals specifically with spousal emotions and problems. According to my Alzheimer’s Association contact in Washington, DC, they recommend this site to spouses of AD patients, for which I am grateful. The message boards are for US, the spouses; for support, information, special understanding that only we share.

However, since the inception of the website, I have wanted to give a voice to our AD spouses in a format separate from the message boards – I have wanted them to share THEIR emotions. The more we understand their feelings and motivations, the better we will be able to help them and ourselves. It has been far more difficult than I expected to get that perspective. Most people with dementia have difficulty expressing themselves. I have printed essays by Richard Talyor, Ph.d, who has written about his life with dementia
 ( Alzheimer’s From the Inside Out), and Dave Howe, the husband of our member, Betsy Howe, who wrote an article on his struggle with dementia. My own husband’s verbal explanation has been limited to one rare occassion , and the simple two word sentence – “It sucks.” (Not particularly explanatory and specific.)

But now, Tracy Mobley, the founder of Camp Building Bridges,, who has been living with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease for 8 years – most recently diagnosed as Frontal Lobe Dementia -  has agreed to write a monthly blog for us about HER emotions related to living with the disease. I am thrilled, as I hope you will be, to gain her perspective, which hopefully, will help all of us better understand the struggles of our own spouses.

Tracy is the first to sign on for my new “Expert Blogger” series. In the future, I am planning on regular blogs by a physician, a social worker, a Medicaid expert, a caregiver expert, and others. It has been in the development stage for awhile, but it is now coming together.

Tracy’s first blog will appear on this website in February. She is in her 8th year of dementia, so we must be patient and give her the time she needs to organize her thoughts and put them on paper. I am sure you will welcome and appreciate her contribution as much as I do.

MESSAGE BOARD TOPIC: Joan's Blog - Exciting Website News

Feedback to joan@thealzheimerspouse.com

©Copyright 2010 Joan Gershman 
The Alzheimer Spouse LLC
2009 All Rights Reserved                    

 The material included on this website contains general information intended as information only. This site is not intended to provide personal, professional, medical, or psychological advice, and should not be relied upon to govern behavior in any certain or particular circumstances. The opinions in the blogs are solely those of the owner of the website. The opinions on the message boards are not necessarily endorsed by the owner of this website, and are the opinions of those persons writing the messages. All material on this web site is for demonstration and informational purposes only.           

The Alzheimer Spouse LLC 2009 All Rights Reserved