Love conquers Alzheimer's

After the initial ordeal of coping with Alzheimer’s in her family, Aruna Joshi emerges triumphant as a spiritual warrior

I wake up from my deep sleep due to the hammering on my bedroom door. Startled and confused, I switch on the light by my bedside to check the time. It is 1.30 a.m.! My pulse racing, I open the door. And what do I see?

My 80-year-old mother-in-law standing there, trying hard to hide her anxiety behind her smile. Pulling me by my hand she says, “C’mon, let’s have dinner.” I stand there, astounded, trying to make sense of what she just said. Not knowing what to do, I wake up my husband and together we try to explain to her that it is past midnight and all of us have had dinner at 9 p.m. But all our efforts go in vain as she relentlessly tries to convince us otherwise, and we finally yield to her request.

Then, at 2.30 in the night, I make chapatis for her and serve her with left-over veggies from dinner. Well, the issue doesn’t get resolved yet. She insists that we all should dine with her. Seeing no point in any kind of logical discussion, we act as if we are having food. Then the whole episode ends with her cuddling into her comforter like a baby, wishing us ‘Good Night’ and telling us to sleep peacefully! My husband and I lie on our bed wide awake, staring at the ceiling for the rest of the night; numb, perplexed, and worried.

This was the first of the many incidences that sent chills down our spines.

It all started with her slowly forgetting simple things like her glasses or hearing aid or forgetting names and days. It didn’t seem that critical in the beginning, but as the frequency increased, it was a matter of worry. Sometimes she would talk about things that didn’t make logical sense.