#5 Don't wait
I think that this tip is something that I reflect back on and feel grateful for what we were able to do before Grandpa started really struggling with the Alzheimer's symptoms. I pushed Grandpa a little for quite some time because I didn't want him to quit and maybe because I hoped he could fight a little longer to grasp what reality he had left. I am glad that we were able to do our mission. What a blessing it was to travel continually when we weren't at work. New England was full of history and beauty. Beauty so different from the desert and something you had to see to believe. I often tell him about things we did and saw and although he doesn't remember he loves hearing about them.
I had to come to terms recently that Grandpa can't go into stores where people are continually moving around or the noise level is too high. It is hard to accept our limitations but I have seen a marked difference now that he isn't doing it. We now go on drives and deal with drive-thru places for lunch and that still works. Grandpa has no memory of even what we did this morning but I do. In spite of the limitations I still have memory and need to stay busy and challenged so I continually look for things that I can do to be busy and productive. You would be surprised how good I feel when I have a floor to mop or a sheets to change!
Be careful about waiting for the perfect time to go somewhere or do something special. You may find that the window of opportunity was much smaller than you could have imagined.
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