Dante Reawakened
Lifer
- May 4, 2022
- 9,126
- 4,494
- 208
- Banned
- #1
Life is what it is. Some people say life can be cruel, but I believe how cruelty is used here conveniently ignores the fact that cruelty is a human construct.
Early on, there were cruel conjectures that people around her were pushing her to remain in the Senate for their own self-interests, which was a petty and uninformed accusation. Let me tell you something about the fear of cognitive decline: It unleashes a torrent of emotions in caregivers. There is a fear of the unknown, there is a desire to maintain the status quo, to keep everything as normal as possible, and there is the haunting awareness that everything you once relied on is falling apart.
For the people losing their cognition, terror can be a constant companion, confusion nips at their heels, and they reach desperately for the person they once were. Caregivers reach for that, too. Early on in my father’s illness, my mother took him up to their ranch north of
A Bedtime Story of Cognitive Decline
Opinion
Guest Essay By Patti Davis
Ms. Davis, a daughter of President Ronald Reagan, is the author, most recently, of “Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer’s.”
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Los Angeles — the place he once said was heaven on Earth, the place that nourished his soul. But that was no longer the case. He became agitated and frightened by the expansive green miles he once loved. Dementia narrows the boundaries of one’s world; on that clear blue day when he said he wanted to go home, we learned that sad lesson.
Recently, it was revealed that Senator Feinstein has given her daughter “limited durable power of attorney,” something that is also familiar to many people. It’s a necessary move when a loved one is showing reduced capability in dealing with legal or medical issues. Her daughter has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her mother, alleging that Senator Feinstein is the victim of “financial elder abuse.” The claim is that the trustees of her husband’s estate are failing to contribute to the trust money that she is owed. (A lawyer for the trustees has said that his clients “acted ethically and appropriately at all times.”) There are milestones in the decline from health, and handing over power of attorney is one of them. It’s not something that anyone looks forward to.
Sometimes a public story touches thousands of lives on a very intimate plane. Regardless of people’s condition, one thing is certain: They want autonomy over their lives. That desire is deeply rooted; it’s primal, and it doesn’t fade easily, if at all. Whether they want to go to work, drive a car, live on their own without the intrusion of an outside caregiver, people want to maintain what feels familiar to them.
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www.nytimes.com
Early on, there were cruel conjectures that people around her were pushing her to remain in the Senate for their own self-interests, which was a petty and uninformed accusation. Let me tell you something about the fear of cognitive decline: It unleashes a torrent of emotions in caregivers. There is a fear of the unknown, there is a desire to maintain the status quo, to keep everything as normal as possible, and there is the haunting awareness that everything you once relied on is falling apart.
For the people losing their cognition, terror can be a constant companion, confusion nips at their heels, and they reach desperately for the person they once were. Caregivers reach for that, too. Early on in my father’s illness, my mother took him up to their ranch north of
A Bedtime Story of Cognitive Decline
Opinion
Guest Essay By Patti Davis
Ms. Davis, a daughter of President Ronald Reagan, is the author, most recently, of “Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer’s.”
Behind Dianne Feinstein’s Headlines Lies Another, Untold Story
Sept. 1, 2023.
Los Angeles — the place he once said was heaven on Earth, the place that nourished his soul. But that was no longer the case. He became agitated and frightened by the expansive green miles he once loved. Dementia narrows the boundaries of one’s world; on that clear blue day when he said he wanted to go home, we learned that sad lesson.
Recently, it was revealed that Senator Feinstein has given her daughter “limited durable power of attorney,” something that is also familiar to many people. It’s a necessary move when a loved one is showing reduced capability in dealing with legal or medical issues. Her daughter has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her mother, alleging that Senator Feinstein is the victim of “financial elder abuse.” The claim is that the trustees of her husband’s estate are failing to contribute to the trust money that she is owed. (A lawyer for the trustees has said that his clients “acted ethically and appropriately at all times.”) There are milestones in the decline from health, and handing over power of attorney is one of them. It’s not something that anyone looks forward to.
Sometimes a public story touches thousands of lives on a very intimate plane. Regardless of people’s condition, one thing is certain: They want autonomy over their lives. That desire is deeply rooted; it’s primal, and it doesn’t fade easily, if at all. Whether they want to go to work, drive a car, live on their own without the intrusion of an outside caregiver, people want to maintain what feels familiar to them.
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Opinion | Behind Dianne Feinstein’s Headlines Lies Another, Untold Story
The caregiving journey always feels like a pilgrim’s path, lonely and strange.
