Author Archives: Jenny Zimmer

Toward the end of March 2019 when I went to visit my husband I found him sitting in a wheelchair, his whole body jerking every few seconds. I had someone help me get him into bed and I called for the supervisor of nursing to come to his room to see what was going onContinue reading “My Heart is Breaking”

Taking care of a loved one is hard! But you know that by now. Although you know intellectually that there isn’t going to be a good outcome for your loved one and you also know that your struggles can’t alter the situation, your heart still holds hope for the future. But there will come aContinue reading “Aligning Head and Heart”

The day was drawing near….that dreaded day when I would take my husband to an assisted care facility. I could hardly bear to think about what that would mean to both of us. I realized that our life together would be over. Things would never be the same! When sitting at the breakfast table justContinue reading “The Hardest Thing Yet”

December 2017 was a difficult month for both of us with the upsetting Emergency Room visit and the events that followed later in the month. At this point we were taking a drive almost every night, some longer than others. These drives were attempts on my part to satisfy Al’s wanting to “go home”. IContinue reading “Making the Hard Decisions”

The holidays are over….you’ve survived! I’m sure it wasn’t easy for either you or your loved one. Hopefully your holidays were problem free and you didn’t have too many visitors. Although they don’t mean to be problems, visitors can change the dynamics and affect the atmosphere in your home. Your loved one may become agitatedContinue reading “Where Do I Go From Here?”

It’s December 24th, Christmas Eve day. Although you’ve gone through the motions and would like to pretend this will be a normal Christmas, you know in your heart of hearts that kind of holiday just isn’t possible now. So what do you do? You put on your game face and somehow you will get throughContinue reading “You Can Do This!”

The year was 2017 and it was early in December. The year had been difficult and Al’s Alzheimer’s had progressed significantly. There had been several incidents during the year that made me wonder how much longer I could care for him at home. Both his sister and our primary care doctor had suggested that IContinue reading “The Moment of Truth”

After the troubling experience we had at the ER on December 5, 2017 I realized that this Christmas would most likely be the last one Al and I would have in our home. We had stopped doing a lot of Christmas decorating a few years earlier when we were able to spend the winter monthsContinue reading “The Importance of A Christmas Tree”

I am tired! Physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel all used up. I feel alone and helpless. I also am beginning to question my decision making…..am I doing the right things for him? Could I be doing something something better, could I somehow slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s? Being a caregiver is noContinue reading “Give Me Strength”

It’s hard to get things accomplished when you have to call someone to come over to stay with your loved one so that you can go out for a while. In 2017 I found it necessary to get new glasses after having my annual eye exam. I knew that might take a little time andContinue reading “Finding My way”