PrintMay 24, 2009
The Survival of the Caretaker
When Marie had to face the reality of her father's Alzheimer's she knew she was also facing a decision she likened to "choosing between jumping off a cliff or getting hit by a bus." "It was terrifying, the idea of relinquishing his care to the hands of total strangers, many of whom would not be paid well, many of whom I knew hated the work. But he was deteriorating so quickly and I was incapable of caring for him myself. He would get up in the middle of the night and wander around the neighborhood. Once we found him standing and staring at the mailbox down the street when we went to walk the dog. He couldn't remember where he lived. Another time, the police brought him home. And we were lucky because they wouldn't have even known who he was or where to bring him if we hadn't given him an i.d. tag to wear around his neck. "My choice is really no choice."It is not an uncommon position for millions of baby boomers in this country and an increasingly disturbing...(Read Full Article)
