Skip to main content

Morgana - (personal) My dad and Alzheimer’s disease

young dad and me before AlzheimersWhat you probably didn’t know (unless you’ve been following my daily Facebook Live videos for the last 3 weeks) is that my brilliant father has Alzheimer’s-related dementia.

 

This is the brainiac attorney who went to college and law school on full academic scholarship… he nabbed a perfect score on the Law School Admissions Test when he took it on a lark.

 

He raised me on conversations of Constitutional Law and Civil Rights for as long as I can remember.

 

He has declined so rapidly this year that last night his wife put him on a plane to her home town in Ohio, where he can receive a higher level of institutional care than we could find in Southern California.

 

It is no longer possible for him to live at home. And I am grateful for her heroic efforts to keep him in his house for as long as possible.

 

I am just so sad to see the sharp dad I knew disappear. This is breaking my heart in a million pieces.

 

This is life. We will ALL experience loss like this if we are privileged to live long enough.

 

Some of the wonderful things I learned from dad:

 

1) Speak to homeless people. Don’t just give money (but give money). Also give warmth and attention.

 

2) Vote for the political party that fights for civil rights, even if the other party is offering tax cuts that might benefit you. (Dad used to organize civil rights marches in the 60’s.)

 

3) Get good grades. Research facts. Be prepared to argue to support your views, even if you’re 5 years old.

 

4) The best movies break out into song, a la “Singing in the Rain.”

 

I am feeling deep wonder and gratitude for all the things that are going right, even during a time of heart break. How fortunate I am is pretty incredible. I can’t believe how many bullets we’ve dodged.

My father invested for decades into long term care insurance that will pay for his Alzheimer’s care. He’ll be able to get quality care for his insurance’s budget in Ohio (alas, not in SoCal).

Dad has a wife who genuinely loves him and has been taking care of him, who will live blocks away from his assisted care so she can see him every day.

I was blessed with a dad who loves me, who saved up for my college education from the day I was born, who stepped up as both dad and mom when my mother became too abusive and dangerous to have in my life. I’m really fortunate.

I’m doubly blessed to have my loving partner by my side to be my soft landing when things hurt.

So even as I spent my last Los Angeles day with my dad yesterday, and I may feel a deep loss as it sinks in that he’s no longer accessible to me here, and I’m anxious about what issues his house/estate may bring up in future months, I also feel that this couldn’t have played out much better than it has, and I’m grateful for my good fortune.

 

Namaste,

 

PS I always thought my dad was the normal-ish parent while my mom was the crazy, artsy one. But it was my dad who chose my weird, witchy name “Morgana.”

PPS Dad was fairly lucid on Saturday, so I was able to shoot this  very short video of us:

 

The post (personal) My dad and Alzheimer’s disease appeared first on Morgana Rae & Charmed Life Coaching, Inc..



via Morgana Rae & Charmed Life Coaching, Inc. http://ift.tt/2fGJKpc

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

lynda - Jane Wurwand, Founder of Dermalogica, this week on Glambition Radio

Jane Wurwand is not only the founder of the #1 brand of skin care in the world, but she’s also changing women’s lives on a global level . I’m thrilled to have her as my guest on today’s episode of Glambition Radio . Jane (originally from the UK) and her husband launched their business back in 1983 in Marina del Rey, CA with $14,000, no bank loans and no investors. Today, Dermalogica boasts sales of more than $250,000 million a year and is sold in 86 countries around the world! It’s a true rags-to-riches story, and she tells all in our interview . What many people may not know about Jane is that she is also fighting to empower women all over the world. She founded FITE , Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship, which invests in local grassroots initiatives to help women and girls become leaders . To date, her FITE program has helped fund more than 40,000 loans for women to start or grow businesses in over 65 countries! (Visit JoinFITE.org to see how you can get involved.) O...
Post a Comment
Read more

SMART Goals 101: Goal Setting Examples, Templates, and Tips - Brian Tracy

I think you’ll agree with me when I say: We’ve all heard that SMART goals are important . But a lot of people are left with questions about them, for example: What exactly are they? How do we use them correctly? Are they really contributing to your success? Here’s the deal: When it comes to achieving success, one of the most important steps that you can take is setting good goals. It is also important to recognize, though, that not all goals are created equal. In this article, we’ll take a look at a special class of goals called SMART goals and how you can use them to heighten your chances of success. FREE SUCCESS TOOL: Brian Tracy’s 14-Step-Goal-Setting Guide What is a Goal? A goal can be any objective that you set for yourself and push yourself to achieve. Sometimes that goal may be small (like waking up an hour earlier than you normally do) and sometimes it may be larger (like earning a promotion). But here’s the kicker: While having goals of all kinds is almost ...
Post a Comment
Read more

bosanchez - The Bias of Fathers

One day, I was at a Christmas party. And parents were forcing their small kids to sing, bribing them with lollipops to banana splits to doll houses to Boracay vacations. One father — a friend of mine whose name I won’t divulge as it would be hazardous to my health — brought his little five-year-old daughter to the front. Because he even had a Minus One prepared, we thought, “She must really be a good singer.” So everyone clapped their hands and cheered as the music started. Then the five-year-old began to sing. Or at least made some kind of sharp noise.  But she didn’t get one key right. The cute little girl was absolutely tone deaf. From beginning to end, she sounded so awful, the experience was similar to having an endoscopy without the anesthesia. But the father was right beside me, still taking photos, still smiling from ear to ear, his eyes glued to his little daughter. He looked at me and smiled, “She may not sound right, but can you see how lovely she sways her hips?”...
Post a Comment
Read more