At the start of my relationship with my wife in 1964 we slowly got to know each other and eventually became as one.
Now everything is in reverse, and we are slowly coming apart. At the moment, she still sort of knows who I am but is incapable of conversation or expressing feelings other than hunger, thirst or needing the loo etc., She talks but makes no sense and continually picks things up and moves stuff around.
We are joined at the hip as she cannot be left alone and it is illegal to pop out and lock the door with her inside alone at home. For a couple of days a week she went to a day care centre but that was stopped because of health and safety (she undid her seat-belt sometimes when the mini-bus stopped).
I do everything, brush her teeth, wash, laundry, clean, cook, entertain and everything else needed to get through a normal day. Hard to put up with people staring when you are feeding your wife in a restaurant.
We stopped going on holiday 2 years ago when I realised the change of environment was confusing and distressing her.
What I have learnt is that I must not try to stay in my everyday world, I have to join her world at her pace; leave out rational chat and simply communicate with her whenever opportunity arises to connect.
For 55 years my wife has taken great care of me and now it is payback time.
Now everything is in reverse, and we are slowly coming apart. At the moment, she still sort of knows who I am but is incapable of conversation or expressing feelings other than hunger, thirst or needing the loo etc., She talks but makes no sense and continually picks things up and moves stuff around.
We are joined at the hip as she cannot be left alone and it is illegal to pop out and lock the door with her inside alone at home. For a couple of days a week she went to a day care centre but that was stopped because of health and safety (she undid her seat-belt sometimes when the mini-bus stopped).
I do everything, brush her teeth, wash, laundry, clean, cook, entertain and everything else needed to get through a normal day. Hard to put up with people staring when you are feeding your wife in a restaurant.
We stopped going on holiday 2 years ago when I realised the change of environment was confusing and distressing her.
What I have learnt is that I must not try to stay in my everyday world, I have to join her world at her pace; leave out rational chat and simply communicate with her whenever opportunity arises to connect.
For 55 years my wife has taken great care of me and now it is payback time.