The struggle of watching your parents age can touch the depths of your emotions and shared history. In the second of her series, “What to Expect When Your Parents Are Aging,” Seniors Guide writer Terri L. Jones examines the challenges that aging adults and their children face.
I remember the first time it dawned on me that my father was getting older. He was in his early 70s at the time and had fallen while climbing a tree stand. He broke his pelvis in several places, an extremely painful injury that the doctors at the hospital could do little about. They put him on a variety of new drugs that wreaked havoc on his brain, turning the nurses’ station into a McDonald’s counter and making him believe that the hospital staff was abusing him.
This accident happened before my father was diagnosed with white matter disease, before his stroke, and before we knew he had vascular dementia; however, in my memory, it marked a critical juncture. It was the point when my father transformed from a strong, capable, and reserved man into someone who walked more slowly, who began repeating things, and who expressed himself with shocking vulnerability. It was difficult for me to reconcile these two very different people.
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This information provided courtesy of Seniors guide By Terri L. Jones.