Bill

I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease eight years ago at the age of 78.

I couldn’t do anything about it.  I was afraid of losing independence and not being able to drive.  That just swept the rug out from under me. I used to be strong willed, but now I just go with the flow. It is what it is, what’s a fella to do?

Since I was diagnosed, the medical staff have all been good to me. They’re nice and they do their job.

I see my daughter often.  She talks to me a lot and sometimes it just goes over my head.  She’s been learning as much as she can to try and help me. But there’s a lot of stigma. Business isn’t the same and people do treat me differently.  It is hard to explain, but I get the feeling they are more afraid. I try not to think about it too much. I just live with it.

Dementia is not very nice.  Life is not the same.  You can’t do what you used to do and don’t even have the option to do it anymore. I worked hard for everything I got in my life.  I owned Bill’s Burner Service and I built my own home. The key to happiness for me is to buy lots of fancy cars and trucks.  Selling my Fleetwood Brougham Cadillac after I couldn’t drive anymore was hard for me.