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Monday, March 14, 2022

Step by Step

 

A few days ago, I heard the old song “Step by Step” by the Crests. The darn song keeps running through my mind day and night since then. I don’t know all the lyrics but the step by step part of the song is like a broken record.

 It could be that the phrase reminded me of how things have been for me lately. It seems that some days are handled best one step at a time. My first step is to have a cup of coffee. Then, after I have time to drink it, preferably in silence, I’m ready to face the day.

 

Retirement has caused total chaos in my mind as far as the day of the week and the day of the month. Occasionally, I don’t notice when one month turns into another, but that is a by-product of not knowing what day it is. Thank goodness, I have electronic devices that make that job a lot easier. If it weren’t for my cell phone alarms, I would miss more appointments than I do.

 

On Saturday I had a moment of panic thinking that I had missed my Tuesday dental appointment. Not only are they hard to get, but the last notice I received reminded me of extra fees for being late or missing an appointment.

 

The previous confession reminds me of the wonderful program that my friend Amelia presented on Ten Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s during Memory Week. I don’t have to look beyond Sign #1 Memory Loss to find the symptom of relying heavily on memory aids. Okay, I know that in today’s busy world, almost all of us count on the bells and whistles of our devices to keep us on track.

 

Once you’ve been a caregiver to a person with dementia, you realize how extensive and debilitating that memory loss can be. When the clinic tried to evaluate Jim, they asked him if he knew what month it was, and he replied, “Yes.” I’m sure he thought they should just take his word for it. In all fairness, I think Jim sometimes did know the answer to their questions, but his aphasia made it hard to him to find the right words. Or he may have thought they were just stupid to have to ask him such silly questions.

 

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s short-term memory loss is the first sign. A person with Alzheimer’s might remember an event that happened in his or her youth, but a hour after eating cannot remember what they had for breakfast—or perhaps not remember eating breakfast.


Step by step makes me think of both Walk to End Alzheimer’s and advocacy. In September, we take steps at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research and programs to help caregivers and persons with Alzheimer’s. When we advocate for Alzheimer’s research and legislation to help families, we are also taking steps.

 

When I first began advocacy, I felt like we were taking baby steps, but lately, I think we’ve made some gigantic steps toward finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

 

Step by step, we are moving forward toward our goals. The more of us who advocate, the quicker we will move forward. Just like in the song, advocates start with the “first step.”

 

The first step is the hardest one, but once you get started, you will hit the ground running.

 

·         Photo courtesy of Scarlet Lens Photography from the 2021 Sedalia Walk to End Alzheimer’s

 

Copyright © March 2022 by L.S. Fisher

http://earlyonset.blogspot.com

#ENDALZ 

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