I was speaking to my partner last night and discussing the very grey, very emotive topic, of moving on and finding another partner / companion after alzheimers.
What are your thoughts?
My mum is 58 this year, and I wonder if Dad will ever think it's ok to move on. I wonder what happens if she ends up in a nursing home, and dad is only say 65 or 70, healthy with a good 2 or 3 decades left in life. I wonder if he's destined to lonliness for the rest of his life with a wife who doesn't know him. Or if he will allow himself to find companionship and maybe a glimmer of happiness.
It's hard to think that, that's it for his happiness forever. He worked hard the last 45 years, didn't even reach retirement age before he has to become a carer and then eventually lose his wife to alzheimers, but perhaps have her live for decades.
I said to my partner that if it happens to me, i wouldn't expect him to give up his whole life and every opportuntity at happiness. Then we spoke about another family member who divorced his wife who had early onset alzheimers and was in a nursing home from a young age. And how hard it would be to do that, but how unfair it also is to be imprisoned by the illness.
Such a very grey area. But I hate to think that Dad will be grumpy, sad, lonely forever, after working so hard for his family for so long.
What are your thoughts?
My mum is 58 this year, and I wonder if Dad will ever think it's ok to move on. I wonder what happens if she ends up in a nursing home, and dad is only say 65 or 70, healthy with a good 2 or 3 decades left in life. I wonder if he's destined to lonliness for the rest of his life with a wife who doesn't know him. Or if he will allow himself to find companionship and maybe a glimmer of happiness.
It's hard to think that, that's it for his happiness forever. He worked hard the last 45 years, didn't even reach retirement age before he has to become a carer and then eventually lose his wife to alzheimers, but perhaps have her live for decades.
I said to my partner that if it happens to me, i wouldn't expect him to give up his whole life and every opportuntity at happiness. Then we spoke about another family member who divorced his wife who had early onset alzheimers and was in a nursing home from a young age. And how hard it would be to do that, but how unfair it also is to be imprisoned by the illness.
Such a very grey area. But I hate to think that Dad will be grumpy, sad, lonely forever, after working so hard for his family for so long.