Key Points
My mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's during the pandemic.Unable to travel back to the UK to be with her and my family, I started calling every day.Though she doesn't always know who I am, our phone calls are now an integral part of her routine...
But, stuck in Australia thanks to visa restrictions and border lockdowns, I had to find another way to be there for my family in the UK when my mother started showing symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's...
For a while, the letters also worked as a reference tool and helped her feel connected and loved something she struggled with after spending so much time alone.. Unfortunately, she has declined considerably since her diagnosis..
But while the days of long conversations and long letters are behind us, we still talk most mornings; I just limit our conversations to simple topics, or it can get confusing...
Fortunately, she now has a lot more community support and plenty of activities to fill up her days, such as art classes and early-onset Alzheimer's clubs and excursions...
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