7 years into Alzheimer’s: His imaginary life is all day long now

Today Barbara welcomes back Dotti McLean, whose husband Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seven years ago. They talk about how the disease has progressed, and all the things Dotti has learned along the way. Dotti describes some of the physical problems – losing his muscle memory, having a hard time walking, getting dizzy and falling down – as well as the memory decline. She says that Brian is unable to understand basic directions or explanations and lives in his own imaginary life all day now. She and Barbara discuss how difficult it is for a caregiver to parse through the various issues and understand exactly what’s causing them, let alone how to treat them. They also talk about the emotional pain of taking care of someone after a 52-year marriage; how it feels to acknowledge the sadness and sense of loss.