When I was 18, my grandmother passed away from a very long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She had been in the hospital for a few weeks fighting pneumonia and other issues. But she only made it to the age of 80, which to others may seem like a long time, but when you struggle with such a terrible disease for over fifteen years, it seems like a very short time. I was able to see her one last time in the hospital before she passed away and although I couldn’t talk with her much (she wasn’t aware of who we were for most of the visit), it still meant so much to me because I got to tell her how sorry I was for all she had gone through.
Even though Alzheimer’s is such a terrible disease, there are many positive things you can take from having it. If my grandmother wouldn’t have been such a strong woman, she would have never learned to live life again once we found out what was wrong with her and she would’ve spent years doing nothing but worrying about herself instead of helping others. My grandmother’s diagnosis came in the early 90s when she was in her late fifties.
She started to forget little things like forgetting where she put an item or having small moments of confusion on where she was at. But, like most people who ignore the signs of something bad happening, nothing came about of it until my grandmother began losing weight rapidly for even though she wasn’t eating much or exercising more than normal. It wasn’t until then that we decided to take her into the doctor’s office and they were able to find out what was wrong with her (Alzheimer’s).
My grandmother had Alzheimer’s for fifteen years before it finally took over her mind too much, but during those years she did get better mentally than when it first hit her so hard. I think if she had Alzheimer’s during the time when my grandmother was young, she wouldn’t have been able to overcome it so easily because back then there wasn’t the medication and treatments that doctors know about now. I hope by sharing this experience with you guys, maybe it’ll help you realize what your grandmother may be going through or maybe it will help you remember them even more when they’re gone.
I took care of my grandmother when she was in hospice care During the time I cared for my grandmother, I wanted to help her but there wasn’t much I could do. Despite that, what little time I had with her changed me forever . She taught me never to take anything for granted. I always remember my grandmother telling me that when someone passes away, it’s an angel in heaven . I never understood what she meant until the day she died.
I believe in this so much because when someone passes away, they become free of all pain. After she passed away, I could feel her everywhere around me—from the clothes I wore to the food I ate; everyday things reminded me that my grandmother was still with us. It’s sad to lose a loved one that you can’t see or touch anymore but it is true when they are still here in spirit. My grandmother will always hold a special place in my heart and there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about her.
Since I took care of my grandmother in hospice care, it made me want to be a nurse when I grow up. I remember the day she died, because even though she was gone physically, I could still feel her spirit with me. It’s not easy losing someone special to you but being able to spend time with that person until their last breath makes your loss worth it. My grandmother will never leave my thoughts no matter how much time passes or what happens in life because she lives in my heart forever.
The day before she died, my grandmother had fallen into a coma. The doctor told us that there was nothing more that could be done for her, and urged us to prepare for the inevitable. My grandmother’s husband, my grandfather, wanted to visit her one last time before the end of the night came. It was late, and I was exhausted. But my grandmother’s husband insisted on bringing me with him as he went to visit her one last time. I had always been very close with my grandmother. To have her leave us just before what could have been the end of a long holiday weekend felt like a cruel trick by fate.
As we entered the room where she lay motionless, I knelt down beside the edge of her bed, grasped her hands firmly within mine, and leaned over to whisper into her ear: “You can go now. You’ve done everything you were meant to do here. Go be free from pain wherever you are going next. ” The following morning at breakfast, my grandmother’s husband told us that he had something important to talk about after we finished eating. I looked at my grandmother, and she smiled back at me. The moment was so familiar; it felt as if the past and present were blending into one another seamlessly.
The next day, we received a phone call that changed everything: My grandmother’s husband told us that she had passed away in her sleep sometime during the night. For some unspoken reason, we believed we knew exactly when she died: At the very instant I spoke those words to her in the hospital, I thought with certainty that she closed her eyes for the last time and disappeared from our world forever. And though nothing could ever undo what happened over those next twenty-four hours, it always gave me peace to know that at the very least, my grandmother had heard those words before she left us.