In Her Practical Dementia Guidebook, Tara Reed Explores What To Do Between The Tears

On my son’s 19th birthday we got the news from the neurologist: your dad not only has vascular dementia but also Alzheimer’s. Earlier in the day I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to light candles on my son’s cake since he was over 3,000 miles away starting his freshman year of college. After the call, I was glad he wasn’t home so I could cry and release some of the grief and anguish I felt. It wasn’t as if it was a surprise to my family but rather a confirmation of our worst fears. My dad had not one but two kinds of dementia and the road ahead would not be easy. He didn’t believe there was anything wrong either – which at the time created a lot of anger and conflict as he believed we were all trying to control him when we were simply trying to keep him safe and get him help.