Alzheimer's Canyon: June 2019

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Sky: My Spiritual Life

Note from Jane: Sky and I recently attended the Dementia Action Alliance conference in Atlanta where we were co-presenters (with Linn Possell) of a workshop entitled, "Nurturing a Dementia-Friendly Spiritual Life." These are the words that Sky read at the beginning of the workshop.

What I believe…..a work in progress

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Jane: We are What We "Do"?

The other day Sky said to me, “I can’t do anything anymore.” Of course, that isn’t true — there are lots of things he can still do. What he meant is “I can’t do many things that I used to be able to do easily and well,” like carpentry, gardening, reading, writing, crossword puzzles, board and card games.

We all learn how to do many different things in our lives. I remember vividly learning to read, learning to swim, learning to downhill ski, learning to ride a two-wheeled bike — none of them easy to learn, but oh so satisfying once I got the hang of it. My horizons opened up — so many books to read, lakes to swim in, mountains to glide down, and roads to ride. Life was full of endless possibilities.

Tips on Reading Alzheimers Canyon

As of May 2018, there are now over 100 subscribers to our blog. And by "our" we mean not just Sky and Jane, but also everyone who reads and generally follows along with this journey into dementia. We read every single comment you all add with great interest. Please feel free to chime in.

We've learned a lot from your comments and expect to learn more as the journey unfolds. We've found it is too much try to reply individually to each comment on the blog, especially in a timely manner.....remember... some of these words, like the brain behind them, may have "loosed their anchors to time."

For new or bemused readers, this blog has two simultaneous threads going on at the same time. Some written by Sky, who is living with a diagnosis of "Probable Early Alzheimer's Disease." Some are written by Jane, who has been living with Sky for over 30 years. She holds the complicated position of primary care-partner.

The bulk of the posts are reflections on real-life challenges, adventures, surprises and their attendant emotions and changes. When you open the blog you will see a small selection of a small selection of the most recent posts. Most of these lead to a READ MORE button which will get you to the rest of the post. Feel free to jump around.

The other part of the blog is a more fantastical story, called Alzheimer's Canyon, about a regular guy, innocently traveling life's highway, who unexpectedly ends up in an exceedingly bizarre place called Alzheimer's Canyon. It is important to read these episodes in order. Here's how: Scroll down to the list called LABELS, on the right-hand sidebar. Click on the Label called Alzheimer's Canyon and you will see all the episodes. Don't forget to visit them in order, starting with "The Arrival." All the other episodes will be obvious from the number in their titles.

Keep in touch...