Maidin Mhaith, Failte! That is, Good Morning and Welcome! ( Gaelic) I just thought I’d try something new. Moving forward, I’ll try to incorporate greetings in different languages, it will be fun, welcoming and we can all learn a new phrase or two! As always, I am hoping you are all safe, happy and living well.

My daughter shared yesterday’s bloggy thing on her FB page, she wrote; “Mumma is talking about some real internal struggles today. Alzheimer’s is an unpredictable companion.“

“Alzheimer’s is an unpredictable companion”, that settled quickly within me, perhaps enveloped me. Throughout my journey, companionship with Alzheimer’s was the last thing I would ever think of, but it is my constant companion. Like it or not, we are one.

Companions, typically, means your best friend, your dog and your partner in life; it means work mates, team members and those important people in your lives……..it doesn’t mean life ending disease.

In the dictionary: Noun

1. a person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels. …… well, I guess I do travel with Alzheimer’s but I hate sharing the bed with anyone.
2. one of a pair of things intended to complement or match each other….. I do not believe we compliment each other in the literal sense of the word, however, ( this may be funny) I try to be as polite to Alzheimer’s as I possibly can, work as a team……match each others skills., sort of.
3. verb FORMAL — accompany.“he is companioned by a pageboy”……. I would consider Alzheimer’s the pageboy, although Alzheimer’s does not run errands….Alzheimer’s creates unnecessary steps while running errands.

Regardless……it is true what my daughter wrote, an unpredictable companion.

It’s hard to go through a day not knowing exactly how your day will transpire. Healthy brain persons have a genuine belief ( as I did once too) that the day will unfold as most other days do; with little to no bumps in the road. Having Alzheimer’s, well, its a toss of the coin. Even when you call “tails” and it flips that way, there is no saying you are only “tails” today; secretly behind your back, the coin continues to flip, never giving you the chance to call the landing.

Each morning I wake up and test the things….. all the things. I test my ability to roll onto my side or inch to the side of the bed. I test my legs BEFORE I set my feet on the floor. I could go on, but I think you see the greater picture.

Once I have made it down the stairs, there is a pause. I want coffee but the task of getting the coffee, grinding it, filling the reservoir, rinsing the dripbasket, finding my cup and getting the cream,…..well, it is a hard task.

Executive function, the loss of it or rather as I am losing those abilities, plays havoc with me every single morning. Some days I’m on the mark, other days I just sit at the island till my brain “pops” into gear.

You see, I want to make the coffee and I know how to make the coffee, but my brain does not turn on the “ok” switch to let me do it. It is like when I told you about hanging my curtains, I had to wait till my brain said ” ok, GO!”

In other instances, I have no idea how to get words out OR I substitute words to make up part of my sentences, sometimes its quite funny. I know exactly what it is I want to say and then BOOM, some crazy word comes out of my mouth substituting the correct one. My grandkids, they never notice as I have always used crazy words around them, but my daughter laughs with me. My son-in-law, English is a second language to him so he never notices ’cause he often substitutes words himself…… he makes me laugh alot.

Speech also brings up another issue…… understanding exactly what someone is saying. This is new for me, it has just started within the last few months, I have just recently recognized it. It is frustrating and almost embarrassing to ask the person sitting right in front of you to repeat what they have just said two or three times. Oh, Alzheimer’s……. .

In my “previous” life, prior to having my Companion, I was very well spoken, most days I still am, for now, and I am thankful.

I can tell you that my companion, my unpredictable companion sits heavy on my soul at times. Having to use a bed rail to get up in the morning, a shower pole to assist with balance & getting in and out of the tub, contemplative moments of steps to complete a task, and the squirrel moments that go along with it; ( squirrels always acts like its their first day being a squirrel, I feel like that some days), confusion, pain, sleep and sleeplessness, always relearning………still succeeding.

Sure, my companion really sucks some days, but most days, for now, my companion sits on the sidelines.

And now…..SOME EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!

In collaboration with a few other members of DAI, www.dementiaallianceinternational.org, we have launched a wonderful project!

The DAI CookBook! ( below is NOT an image of the front cover)

We have asked our members to participate and submit family favorite recipes in several categories. We are a group, and organization, a family, consisting of Doctors and Lawyers, Authors and Artists, Engineers and Millwrights, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners, Homemakers, Rocket Scientists, Chef’s , Sous Chef, Musicians, Photographers, Entrepreneurs, Sales and Marketing Professionals, Waiters, Waitresses, Mom’s, Dad’s, Young People and Old, we are From Canada, Australia, The United States, England, Scotland, Italy, The E.U., New Zealand, The Yukon and every other state, country, province and territory all over the world, and we all have Dementia.

These recipes, these family favorites and often secret recipes have the potential to be lost…… forever, so we have decided to put them all together and share these magical dishes with the world!

The DAI CookBook will be released as an e-Book on Amazon some time in or before September 2020.

Each recipe will include a short but poignant story of what it has meant to each family. I am so excited to read all the stories.

All proceeds will go directly to DAI www.dementiaallianceinternational.org to further support the Dementia Community around the world through communication and peer to peer connections, as well to ensure this  peak organisation can continue to globally represent persons with dementia.

It is my GREAT privilege to be involved in such an endeavor. I will keep all of you updated and let you know when you can get your hands on this amazing treasure.

Stay happy my friends xo Jan xo