Print
Email
Terri Nielsen
My father-in-law Len is a very social, soft and gentle man.
I have been extremely close with him ever since my partner Bruce and I began dating. So when Len was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease while I was off work for personal reasons, I made the choice to not return to work and I became his full-time caregiver.
It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I’ve learned so much and have so much respect for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
We first took Len to his doctor with concerns about Alzheimer’s disease because soon after having open heart surgery, he started forgetting very short term things. We didn’t know if it was related to the drugs from the surgery so we decided it would be best to visit the doctor. That same day his doctor diagnosed him in the fourth stage of Alzheimer’s disease, we were connected to the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s First Link® coordinator Laurie De Croos. Within a week I received a package from the Society about all the different education and support that was available to our family, as well as, programs we could become involved in.
I called Laurie and we started the Shaping the Journey: living with dementia™ program right away. It really helped Len - I can’t even explain how valuable that was to him. He doesn’t usually talk about his feelings or how things are affecting him but the program brought out those feelings and he loved talking to everybody there and sharing his emotions and his feelings. I would sit there with my mouth hanging open! I couldn’t believe that he was actually speaking about matters of the heart.
Shaping the Journey: living with dementia™ was the door that opened to us so that we could begin planning for the future. Best of all, we were able to talk openly with Len about it because he was the one who initiated the conversation. That was amazing. In the past we didn’t know how to talk to him about those things, we were just learning about the disease and it can be a fine line in regards to upsetting the person with dementia. But he would approach the situation and now, as far as we can be prepared, we are prepared.
For me it has been valuable as well because I learned so much in order to help him throughout the journey - such as maintaining your spirit and communication. You have to learn patience, a lot of patience, when caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.
We now also attend the Minds in Motion™ program in Prince George. We wish there were more frequent sessions! Len used to belong to the local seniors’ centre and they would do the same sort of things though without the exercise component. He used to do that twice a week at the seniors centre but when he started losing his memory he started pulling away from all of those people, probably out of embarrassment. He didn’t want people to realize that there was something going on with him. I don’t think he really realized himself at that time what it was.
The best thing about Minds in Motion™ is that everyone is on the same journey. They are not necessarily in the same place in terms of the stage of the disease but they are in an environment where they can totally be themselves. They don’t have to worry about saying or doing something wrong because everyone understands and shares in the experience.
I always tell people they need to connect with the Society. When you see people out there who don’t want to be involved in things or they hide away, they may not know that it is an invaluable place to go to for support.
Terri Nielsen, Prince George
My father-in-law Len is a very social, soft and gentle man.
I have been extremely close with him ever since my partner Bruce and I began dating. So when Len was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease while I was off work for personal reasons, I made the choice to not return to work and I became his full-time caregiver.
It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I’ve learned so much and have so much respect for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
We first took Len to his doctor with concerns about Alzheimer’s disease because soon after having open heart surgery, he started forgetting very short term things. We didn’t know if it was related to the drugs from the surgery so we decided it would be best to visit the doctor. That same day his doctor diagnosed him in the fourth stage of Alzheimer’s disease, we were connected to the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s First Link® coordinator Laurie De Croos. Within a week I received a package from the Society about all the different education and support that was available to our family, as well as, programs we could become involved in.
I called Laurie and we started the Shaping the Journey: living with dementia™ program right away. It really helped Len - I can’t even explain how valuable that was to him. He doesn’t usually talk about his feelings or how things are affecting him but the program brought out those feelings and he loved talking to everybody there and sharing his emotions and his feelings. I would sit there with my mouth hanging open! I couldn’t believe that he was actually speaking about matters of the heart.
Shaping the Journey: living with dementia™ was the door that opened to us so that we could begin planning for the future. Best of all, we were able to talk openly with Len about it because he was the one who initiated the conversation. That was amazing. In the past we didn’t know how to talk to him about those things, we were just learning about the disease and it can be a fine line in regards to upsetting the person with dementia. But he would approach the situation and now, as far as we can be prepared, we are prepared.
For me it has been valuable as well because I learned so much in order to help him throughout the journey - such as maintaining your spirit and communication. You have to learn patience, a lot of patience, when caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.
We now also attend the Minds in Motion™ program in Prince George. We wish there were more frequent sessions! Len used to belong to the local seniors’ centre and they would do the same sort of things though without the exercise component. He used to do that twice a week at the seniors centre but when he started losing his memory he started pulling away from all of those people, probably out of embarrassment. He didn’t want people to realize that there was something going on with him. I don’t think he really realized himself at that time what it was.
The best thing about Minds in Motion™ is that everyone is on the same journey. They are not necessarily in the same place in terms of the stage of the disease but they are in an environment where they can totally be themselves. They don’t have to worry about saying or doing something wrong because everyone understands and shares in the experience.
I always tell people they need to connect with the Society. When you see people out there who don’t want to be involved in things or they hide away, they may not know that it is an invaluable place to go to for support.
Terri Nielsen, Prince George
2010/11 Annual Report
Personal Stories from the Journey
Join the Wave of Change
About the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
- Message from Board Chair and CEO
- Message from the Treasurer
- Auditor’s Report
- In The Vancouver Sun (appearing in Sept. 22 print edition)
Personal Stories from the Journey
- Hélène is learning to be on the journey one day at a time
- Jim is advocating to improve dementia care through “teachable moments”
- Terri and the rewarding decision to be by her father-in-law’s side on the dementia journey
- Michael, a world-renowned researcher from UBC believes that hope for a world without dementia lies in Canadian research
Join the Wave of Change
About the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
