Stages of Life: Taking Care of Mom and Dad
By Donna K. Lay, MS, LPC, CCMHC

Erosion

While his family watches helplessly, he sits in his recliner, bowed and battered. His blue eyes, once so vibrant and shrewd, now are dulled, seeing little and comprehending even less.

This man, once solid as a pillar of granite and able to weather any adversity is now ravaged by a disease that has eroded his mind and soul. The erosion began slowly, like a spring storm on the horizon, leaving forgetfulness in its wake. Now like an unending tornado that scours the prairie he once farmed, this disease destroys all in its path, leaving him isolated in his own little world where time has no meaning and memories are few.

His family strives to divert the storm and repair the damage, but their efforts are in vain. They too succumb to its fury and become casualties that are left hopeless and drained of all energy.

Building strength and momentum, this storm now continues to destroy vast chunks at a time, leaving behind a shell that resembles the beloved husband and father but lacks the substance they remember. He knows them now, but there will come a time when that too is taken from him - and them.

And so he sits uncomprehending - alone in the midst of unfamiliar family - as the storm carries him away.

04/04/2009

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