Joanne Niswander: Talk about it
By Joanne Niswander
As some of you know, my husband Dean passed away just after the first of the year. It wasn't unexpected. He had been in Mennonite Memorial Home for the past 15 months.
In addition to physical problems that kept him in a wheelchair, he had Alzheimer's disease. And that is what I want to talk about.
The word "Alzheimer's" scares the dickens out of most of us. We sometimes joke about it when we have a "senior moment" but, down deep, we're well aware that Alzheimer's disease might come to us no matter how hard we try to will it away.
So why are so many of us reluctant to talk openly about it? Why do many of us try to ignore that "elephant in the room?"
One reason may be that we Americans have been indoctrinated to think there is a cure for every ill. Headache? There's a pill for that. Flu? There's a shot to prevent it. Cancer? Join the Relay for Life and keep those cures coming.
For Alzheimer's, there are medications that may help to slow the progression but there's no cure, no magic potion to make the mind whole again.
So, in 2004 when Dean and I were just beginning our trek through the stages of Alzheimer's disease, we were fortunate to find help in acknowledging "the elephant." We heard about a new program being started by the Lima office of the Alzheimer's Association that was focused primarily on the person with the disease. (Most other programs being offered at that time were geared to caregivers.)
Those "early stage" programs engaged us in asking questions and talking out problems. Through the monthly meetings, we met other people in the same boat - their boat sometimes leakier than ours.
We learned how important it was to face reality and not hide behind a facade. We learned to cope with that elephant in the room and, instead of ignoring him, we incorporated him into our daily living. Yes, he took up a lot of room but we managed to enjoy life even with him around.
So, maybe your problem isn't Alzheimer's. Maybe it's cancer. Maybe it's Parkinson's. Maybe you don't even have any problems.
But, when one comes up don't ignore it. Talk about it. Bring that elephant out in the open so it doesn't have a chance to get a strangle-hold on your conversation - and your life.
And if you need a listening ear, I'm available.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Pirate baseball win vs. Tigers
- Bluffton softball edged in battle of Pirates
- Committee meetings scheduled for Bluffton Council
- #1 recommended attraction in NW Ohio is in Ada
- Mental Health Awareness event with Seth Gehle
- Ohio highway patrol promoting motorcycle safety
- Recap of Bluffton Board of Education meeting for April 2025
- Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term
Friday, May 2, 2025
- BHS seniors exhibit art at Gallery 323 through May 7
- What's in your weekend?
- Pirate softball blanked by Lancers
- Pirate baseball blanked by Lincolnview
- Laman Promoted to VP Retail Credit Manager by CNB
- Local land conservancy hires first Executive Director
- Steiner to present Swiss Family Migration program on May 21
- 850 Days of Caring volunteers will pitch in for Hancock County
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers