Treading Dark Waters - a Column by Ray Burow

Someone facing an Alzheimer’s diagnosis may experience a range of emotions, including sadness, anger, and disbelief. It’s hard to tell which is more crippling: the diagnosis itself or the emotional toll it takes on the patient and their family. It can be easy to fall into self-pity. When…

Marriage is the union of two people who become one. Anyone who’s “jumped the broom,” however, can attest that marriage is also the union of two families. Parents transform into in-laws and embrace shared children. Sadly, in American culture, mothers-in-law receive a bad rap. They’re the unfair…

Years ago, before I had any understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, a friend told me that she and her family lied to her grandmother, who had the condition. We’ve long since lost touch, but if granted the opportunity, I would tell my friend, “I get it now.” My friend had…

We’re barely into the summer months, and temperatures across the United States are soaring. Heat is expected to intensify as we get deeper into the season, with U.S. temperatures surpassing those of 2023 by at least 2 degrees. Translation: It’s hot, it’s going to stay hot, and rising temperatures…

With its graduations and awards ceremonies, the end of the school year is a complicated season for sandwich generation caregivers, who must provide care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another life-altering condition while simultaneously raising their kids. These carers face an emotional battle because they’re constantly…

Today, I am cancer-free, but five years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy. Five years prior, my sister had been diagnosed with the same disease and received the same treatment. She is also cancer-free now, by the grace of God. This may seem odd,…

My mother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease 11 years after her diagnosis, and my father died six years before my mom. His passing was an excruciating loss for our family. At that point, my mother was in the early to middle stages of Alzheimer’s but otherwise healthy.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — often attributed to Nelson Mandela Just hearing the words “diagnosed with dementia” is a slap across the face and a dagger through the heart. Still, when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, caregiving was the furthest thing from my mind.

Caregiving is hard work. It’s physically demanding, emotionally straining, and constant. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the majority of caregivers in the United States are women, and daughters make up one-third of dementia caregivers. The website also notes, “Caregivers of people with dementia report providing 27 hours…

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was…