Tuesdays are my days to be on my own...as mentioned before it is going really well as Mac is comfortable and happy with his care giver from the A assoc. Today I joined my support group - which was also sponsored by theA association - where 5 of the 12 in the group were able to get together and enjoy a fabulous day in a member's home and swimming pool.
This support group business was something i did not think was too necessary, but at the urging of my family i decided to go..this was an eye opener, we all - in the group - learned so much, gained so much and the word support is understated as in our case it is more than support it has become our lifeline and i really wish to push this idea to those who know or have a person with Alzheimer's in the family. Apparently each group has a different dynamic and of course not all members can or wish to continue after the group meetings are over. The meetings take place once a week for eight weeks...and in our case we were eleven people and I would say we really bonded. For two of the members it has been impossible because of other commitments to get to follow-up meetings - but they have stated clearly that it has been a godsend for them and the material they have has been a terrific help.
In my own case, I both the follow-up meetings and the material, books, recomendations and of course the group that i continue to see have been not only support, but interesting and fun people who I am so happy to have met. One of them today said - out of adversity has come happiness so much more than what we had anticipated when we started.
Well what did we anticipate...I personally thought there would be very little the leader could say that i didn't already know from my readings, meeting new people would be okay, but I didn't really want to SHARE anything with strangers, and really personally didn't want to hear their sad tale of woe as then it would make me worry that it whatever "it" would be would happen to me and I didn't want that.
So how did all these negative feelings and thoughts disappear, I really couldn't say, it was a gradual and very quiet process that began with our terrific leader Bernie who was an Alzheimer nurse ...and somehow with a firm idea of just what she wanted to pass on and to have us learn -and what we would give, and receive from the group was clear from the get go. In any case it worked for all of us...and we continue on...so pass this message to everyone...if you have A in your family join a group, this goes for my own family - as well as the readers of this blog. The Alzheimer's Association phone number in Montreal is 1-888-636-6473 or 514-369-7891.
Mac and his memories is all the better for my joining..that's it for a few days..bye now
All this to say, that
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