Unrecognized Faces

Aging is a fact of life......

Went to the doctor this week with my dad.  He will be 80 this coming December and it seems that he is beginning to show signs of having some dementia.

It is very sad to watch someone you love, have so much difficulty in their thinking.   Recognizing faces, but not quite being able to remember names.  The saddest part is seeing his face when he is trying so hard to remember.  This makes my heart so very heavy.

The doctor wanted to visit with us and explain what happens in the human mind when dementia sets in.  She made one illustration that was easy to understand and it was very interesting.

She related the human mind to a big juicy orange.  After an orange is picked, there are certain things that begin to happen. 
Some oranges stay plump, with a bright color, and when peeled, they are sweet and juicy. 

Other oranges begin to dry up and the skin starts to turn brown.
They become hard and very difficult to peel..

These two oranges were picked the very same day, but just from different trees.

Our minds act in the same way.  To start with, the good orange may have been picked from a tree that was very healthy and was given great care throughout it's growing stages.   The other orange may have come from a tree that was not taken care of as well and perhaps was not watered as much as the first tree.

Our brains act in the same way...Some have genes that show no signs of dementia, while others have family members with genes that go way back in time showing signs.

It is super important for us to keep our bodies as healthy as possible.  We need to stay hydrated at all times and we need to try to live our lives as stress free as possible.  Even if you do have family members with dementia and you know that you have those genes, you still can help your situation by staying healthy. 

I am thankful for the visit with the doctor because she helped us realize some things that we (the family) can do to help keep his mind active.  This is just the beginning and with our help he can still live a full life filled with happiness. 

Blessings to my dad and to all of you that might have aging parents.

Shug.............

We must slow down and take one day at a time.