Hidden Disability: Alzheimer Disease

My mother, Rose, is a 78-year-old grandmother of four. She loves spending time with family and the holidays are mom's favorite time of year. In her prime, she was a wonderful storyteller and often told us the funniest anecdotes about the people she'd met and the places she'd been.

A few years ago, I noticed my mother was misplacing objects, missing appointments, and asking repetitive questions. She'd forget the faces of people she'd met and struggled to remember names. I didn't think much of it at first, but her memory problems gradually became more frequent. Our family was beginning to worry, so we took her to see a doctor where we talked about some of the symptoms we were noticing.

Then she underwent a mental status test, which doctors used to diagnose dementia, as well as blood tests and a neurologic exam, a CT scan, and an MRI. Once doctors had ruled out some other brain disorders, my mother was given the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. It impacts memory, thinking, judgment, and the ability to learn.

Getting my mother's diagnosis was really emotional and took some time to process. We've put some long term plans into place, but for now, we focus our efforts on keeping mom's routine regular. During holidays and family dinners, my children pass around old photos and share their own stories. It's heartwarming to see how they're following in my mother's storytelling footsteps.