Dementia came slowly upon us.

Like a fine wine, her beauty gets better with time.

Little did we know what time would bring. We had our time with joy, sorrow, celebration, and pity parties. We shared our dreams and plans about what the future would hold. Watching our children grow, then move away. We saw the blessings of our God putting His hands on us, guiding us through the swamps and boughs of life. Of all the things we dreamed about, this wasn't even on the horizon of our plans. 

There is a commercial for a law firm, that uses the term, "The accident came without warning." With Dementia, the warning were there, we just didn't see them. Dementia came slowly upon us. What we saw as forgetfulness, words, names, events, just seem natural part of growing old. Then it was the fear that seem to be shadowing her, the timidness of Sweetie being left alone, afraid of new surroundings kept driving home that point that this behavior wasn't normal. That quick wit, those comebacks, the correcting of my sentence structure as I would wrongly speak were gone. Then the fear of what was really happening to her set in like a cold misty cloud. "Alzheimer's?" No, not Sweetie, but yes and there it was and nothing could be done except wait and care for what was coming. Buckle up Buttercup, the end is going to be rocky. 

We're moving into a new stage of Dementia. Sweetie is losing endurance. It has come on her suddenly. Our walks are growing shorter and when we get home, she crawls into bed, with Dumbo, and sleeps for about an hour. While this is good for me, to get a short respite, it bothers me at the same time. 

On another note, I was talking with an old friend of mine about Sweetie and her sundowners. We talked about her incontinence, especially at night. She's 89 and told me she has the same problem and uses overnight pads to resolve the problem. 

I've since purchased some overnighters and so far, they work. Sometimes it is a battle to get Sweetie to let me put it in her pullups, but it is a battle worth fighting. 

Hey there is my Driver. Tapping on the door, wondering if I'm ready to head out for another exciting trip on the Road to Dementia Town. There seems to be a little hop to my gate as I stride to the car, wearing my cool sunglasses, Driver is holding the door as I slip into the passenger seat, buckle up and off we go. Life awaits us, as we drive down the Road to Dementia Town, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. OK, lets see your Shiny Side Up, as you travel with us. Take Care, Love Ya, and as always, God Bless.