Alzheimer's Association: Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter - $10
My great-grandmother, Carmen Duncan, had Alzheimer's for fifteen years or more before her death. I watched my grandmother, Frances Vanarsdall, an RN, spend that time caring for her mother as she deteriorated. In the end, my grandmother only outlived her mother by two years. Officially the cause of death was lung cancer; unofficially, I believe, caregiving took every bit of her strength.
My great-grandmother was a wonderful woman, very lively and not afraid to give you a piece of her mind. When I was little, she made banana pudding, and gave me creamed coffee to play with my tea set with. She built a table for me and put it in the kitchen window, and I would stay there playing and colouring while she worked there.
In the early stages of Alzheimer's, she might say funny things, like the people on the TV were taking her for a ride. She talked of old beaux. She was in some ways a delight, but it was still heart-breaking to see her like that.
In the end, she was mostly unresponsive. Alzheimer's had robbed her of so much. Her last day she seemed to know her daughters. They say people sometimes do that, perk up and become clear as they get ready to die. I don't know about that, but I remember my great-grandmother (and grandmother) fondly, and in the spirit of helping others dealing with this disease, I'm donating to this charity. I know it isn't a lot, but with other donations it can make a difference.
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