Surviving Mom's Predator, The Church Lady

In all the years I've had contact with family members, friends and neighbors who've had Dementia there's not one who would choose this journey that takes away the person we were and moves us in directions we do not choose or want to go.

Since 1968 I've had the privilege of traveling personally and starting in 1990 I began planning journeys by air, land and sea as a Certified Travel Agent/Advisor for Individuals, Families and Groups.

Even when there were complications and given the opportunity to do a travel experience "do over" or "revisit" to change the outcome  -- we looked forward to "another visit". 

No one I have known wants to "revisit" Dementia, especially Lewy Body Dementia, seldom seen or recognized in its earliest stages.

The diagnosis is often "tentative" or "grouped" with other types of "possible Dementias".

 The journey with Lewy body Dementia is complex and often unrecognized even when you live with the person every day.  

Most of us have heard a friend or a relative say, "Oh, he/she is just in one of his/her "moods". 

"Nothing seems to go right, every little thing seems to upset him/her, they just need more rest, better choice of food and exercise ."

The Internet has opened windows and doors to look through and go through   . . . when you know where to look for competent advice.

It's like taking a trip to an unknown country when you have no set date for your departure and plan never to return to where you started.

It's been my personal family journey that's been most challenging. 

Working with friends and other relatives along the pathway of life where Dementia joins the journey, I've chosen to learn locally and nationally, to advocate in my State and to be a "guide" for others sharing information, resources and support.

I encourage others to seek qualified, quality, knowledgeable medical and life changing assistance from individuals, groups and organizations dedicated to providing a better life for people with Dementia and loved ones.

Living with LBD, Lewy Body Dementia, and traveling the last life road with my mother, there were no maps or roadsigns to guide us.

There were extreme challenges and outside interference 

One trip is not like another just as if you were traveling abroad.

We are learning, knowledge is advancing, new discoveries are made almost every day but the journey is long and often difficult.

Dementia of any "type" or "kind" can be both a mental and a physical destructive process. 

Science is studying, many major cities have major medical facilities working on the challenges and enlightening all of us on better ways to make this journey no one would choose.

I encourage you to NOT believe it's a choice and it's not "inevitable" with a family history. 

We do not know the cause, we barely see the effects and there are currently no tests to determine the likelihood or probability of "having Dementia of any type".

Support and follow on line resources in your general community and across the United States -- even into foreign "forward thinking" societies who create and discover ways and means to try to postpone, delay and offset the effects and affects of all types of Dementias.

There are ways to make the journey a little easier for the person with Dementia and loved ones who support and protect their lives.

Use the Internet to learn, to keep and stay in touch. Carefully read for content and intent. 

Just as there can be "scammers" and "manipulators", as we experienced in places we trust, as we did our Church, they can live next door, down the street or on the Internet.

Find reliable, caring resources but always on guard knowing when we have vulnerability,  whether mental or physical or both, we are prey to those who take advantage of all ages and stages in life.

Julia was our "demon in angel's clothing" -- couldn't think of a better way to describe her; it was through our Church she came into our home and life changing our belief there is safety in "trusted" places. 

Predators take advantage of circumstances and vulnerability.Some hide their "tracks"very well and you won't see their manipulation and control until they "strike their prey"--it's often not fully visible, may be questionable, and difficult to believe.

Remember, predators take advantage of and maneuver their prey into positions of more vulnerability striking when least expected.