Sunset to Twilight: An Introduction

My dad Ed will turn 84 this November. A couple of years ago, he started to show signs of slowing down, increasing frailty, more forgetfulness than usual, all the usual signs of aging. But soon it became clear that this was not just aging. Through a number of doctor's visits, it was determined that he was showing symptoms of Dementia, caused most probably by Alzheimer's Disease. Last year it became clear to my mom that she could not simultaneously care for my dad while taking care of their house. She made the decision to sell their house, and move into a senior living community which offered everything from independent living to nursing and memory care. However, as is the case with many such communities, there was a long waiting list, so the question became, where would they live while they waited for their name to be called? After some discussion, my husband and I decided we would like Mom and Dad to come and live with us. It was to be for a trial period of one year. If at the end of the year, we as a family decided that living together was a good solution, they would stay as long as was feasible given Dad's condition. If not, they would stay as long as it took for their name to be called, and they would then make plans to move into the senior community. In Mid August, they arrived from Sunny California to Northern New England. At the beginning of this blog, we have been living as a blended family for almost 2 months.

The purpose of this blog is to share the happenings of our family as we learn to live with 3 generations under one roof, as well as living with a person with Alzheimer's. Some of my friends and family have urged me to start a blog so that they can keep up with how Dad is doing, with all the funny stuff, the sad stuff, and one day I'm sure, the really really hard stuff.

Living in this house as of today are me, my husband Mike, and our three daughters: The Gift (10yo), Elfgirl (8yo), and Sparky (6yo). Those close to us will understand their names :).  In the last  2 months Mom/Jane and Dad/Ed have joined us. Thank you for reading about our journey.