Thursday, December 22, 2011

Marian talks about her husband and father's dementia

Marian talks about the changing roles with her husband’s dementia

In some ways as my husband began to show signs of dementia I turned into the father of the family and he turned into the child. After he died I had to find out who I was. I didn't really know who I was. I was no longer the mother or the father or the wife. I also had to live with my mistakes. I didn't have him or anyone else to shift the blame to anymore.

Marian talks about her father’s doctors

During the time my father
was at the mental hospital with his advanced dementia he had about ten rounds of pneumonia and they treated him with penicillin. He would make a quick recovery each time but then he would get it again. I simply asked whether this was the right approach for him. The doctor really ripped into me and accused me of wanting to kill my dad. That was devastating. This was long before hospice was available. I wasn't trying to kill my father but this was a pretty awful time, even for making inquiries or finding out my choices.

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