A year ago this week, our area was hit by Hurricane Irma. Preparing for a hurricane is a daunting task as you gather supplies, watch, wait, wonder, ask what-if, and “hunker down.” When you add a disease with Alzheimer’s continuous cone of uncertainty to the mix, it contributes all the more stress. We weren’t sure how Mitzi would react to all of it, so it was such a blessing that my family and Mitzi’s family were able to find a safe space to ride out the storm together over those 3 days. Since we spend 5 days a week together on average, it felt almost normal. It actually made for some fun memories at times.
Once the winds and rains had died down, we were able to survey the damage, which was fairly minimal where we were. Mitzi, who ALWAYS has a heart to be helpful, was eager to get out and find ways to lend a hand. It’s amazing how difficult Alzheimer’s can make even the simplest of tasks. Picking up sticks and branches and putting them in a pile required significant assistance. I generally have to stay right with her for any tasks and we just function as one semi-helpful person, but it makes her feel useful, so that’s worth everything. We were grateful to have friends who let her come over and help clean up debris at their building. No judgment or criticism, they let her work at her speed and to her capabilities. Mitzi was so pleased to get to “help” them and has referenced that experience many times in the last year.
Predicting the path of a catastrophic hurricane is a far more exact science than trying to predict anything about a disease like Alzheimer’s. But one thing is for sure: when it comes to wanting to be helpful and feel valuable, Hurricane Mitzi is a category 5!
