I am looking into the vacant eyes of the elderly and I see what I may become. In recent days I have become painfully aware of the plight of the elderly, the invisible shadow. When vitality has forsaken and mental and physical speed alludes, what remains? A predator looms, a wolf called dementia.

A life time of learning and experience, a life time of accumulated knowledge and wisdom is dragged into the wolf lair like so much fresh kill. From being the leaders and movers and shakers to being a dependant adult child the humiliation is an unthinkable degradation. Moving beyond the superficial questions of fairness we are left with the reality of the pieces that we, the cognizant, are left to deal with. There are two routes for us to take in these defining moments. We may rely on the resilience of the human spirit and become a bellwether for others as we stoically take a stand with our loved ones. Conversely, we may take flight and be unable to deal with the stresses incurred by care giving and the associated demands. Both options impact us and our loved ones, both options carry with them their own kind of reward or guilt.

Alzheimer's and other brain wasting diseases separate us from the sufferer in a particularly cruel way. They remove the reflection from the mirror, and the sound from the song bird. Helen Keller once wrote, "Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people," how much more so when our loved ones are blind and deaf to our memory?

Is all lost? Heaven forbid! Though one life is winding down those that are alive and remain have the opportunity to excel in valor, to set precedents for others to follow in footsteps made without the aid of a map. In conclusion, blaze the trail for those not as strong and the rewards will follow in a fervent love for humanity.

I am looking into the vacant eyes of the elderly and I see what I may become. In recent days I have become painfully aware of the plight of the elderly, the invisible shadow. When vitality has forsaken and mental and physical speed alludes, what remains? A predator looms, a wolf called dementia.

A life time of learning and experience, a life time of accumulated knowledge and wisdom is dragged into the wolf lair like so much fresh kill. From being the leaders and movers and shakers to being a dependant adult child the humiliation is an unthinkable

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