For Granny

My Grandmother has dementia. She has had it for a while. Mosby's medical dictionary defines dementia as a progressive organic mental disorder characterized by chronic personality disintegration, confusion, disorientation, stupor, deterioration of intellectual capacity and function impairment of control of memory, judgment and impulses. To put it plainly; Granny is losing it. We (her family) all knew this was coming, it began slowly with her repeating herself a lot and asking the same questions within a 20 minute time frame. Gradually it got worse, she began forgetting names of family members she didn't see very often and talking about family members that have been dead for well over a decade as if they were still alive. Some days are good but some days are very bad. She forgets that her first husband is dead and that she is married to her now husband (who is in a nursing home). She looks for her children to come home at night, forgetting that they are grown and have children and grandchildren of their own. I try to spin all these blogs from an entertaining if not funny angle and believe me, Granny inadvertently provides laughs from time to time but sometimes you ahve to laugh to keep from crying. It's funny how things come full circle. As a child Granny kept me and I never went to daycare when Mama and Daddy had to work. Now I sign up for my day to keep Granny. We don't call it that in front of her because she gets very angry is she thinks we are there to babysit her. I now watch over the shoulder of the woman who helped teach me how to cook, to make sure she doesn't burn herself or forget to turn off the oven. My mom now 'tucks in' the woman who used to tuck her in as a child and sets the 'granny monitor' before she leaves so she will know if Granny absent mindedly walks outside of her house in the middle of the night looking for her kids. Understanding how this disease works, we know that her condition will only continue to deteriorate but I like to remember the woman who helped mold my childhood. She was a hard worker and always put her family first. She was kind to everyone and always lent a hand. She was amazingly talented as a cook, a seamstress and gardener. She made quilts and crocheted afghans. She created elaborate Halloween costumes and patched, hemmed, took in, or let out countless numbers of pants and shirts. She raised four children, eight grandchildren and a growing number of great-grandchildren with one great, great-grandchild on the way. She was and is so much more than I can put into words. I love this crazy woman and even if the day comes that she doesn't remember me, I will always remember how she played a part in making me the woman I am today.