Shadowing

I'd never heard of this before but I guess you don't if you don't know anyone with dementia.  My sister-in-law, Joyce, is in the early stages of dementia and doing pretty good.  She has a fabulous husband, Larry, who sees to her every need and spends his life making sure hers is as good as it can be.  Larry explained "shadowing" as what a dementia patient does to their caregiver.  He said that the caregiver becomes the whole focus of a dementia patient's life and that they are extremely uncomfortable to be away from the caregiver.  He described it as agony, much the same feeling a mother might feel when she doesn't know where her baby is.

I haven't seen Joyce since last year and I could see how her condition had worsened slightly but it gives me hope that her progression will be slow.  Dementia patients progress at different rates, the older they are at onset the slower the rate seems to be.

Joyce is 84 now and still one of the most beautiful ladies I've ever met.  Her skin is virtually unlined.  I always said that Joyce would be beautiful when she was 100 and I was right.

Larry is a young 79 year old, too, and he still works like a horse taking care of their large property, home, and Joyce.  It is a comfort to the whole family to know that our Joyce couldn't be in better hands.  

I'm sure that the "shadowing" can become irritating at times but, if the patient is as loved as Joyce, it's a small price to pay to keep them happy and comfortable.