Cat Burglars and Carousels: My Mom’S Descent into the Pit of Dementia

By Janice Hallmark

Cat Burglars and Carousels: My Moms Descent into the Pit of Dementia tells the story of a familys many transitions that arise from the effects of dementia on the mother of Janice Hallmark, the author. Adopting the format of a journal, she shares reflections, marked by the passing days, that chronicle the accumulating effects of dementia on her mother, the compounding changes in her familys life, and the inspiring reasons for retaining hope.

Cat Burglars and Carousels, the work of a woman whose art is working with words, does not hide raw feelings of anger and sadness and fear behind a faade of innocuous phrases. Rather, it shares in unflinchingly honest and blunt ways the ups and downs that come with accompanying a loved one on the journey that descends into dementias pit.

You might have gone through an experience like the one the author shares. Perhaps you are only taking the first steps on your journey. Maybe you know someone who faces the diagnosis of dementia in a loved one. Regardless, you will find in Cat Burglars and Carousels: My Moms Descent into the Pit of Dementia an honest telling of one womans experience, which can offer you guidance and encouragement.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Dec 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781489706133

Janice Hallmark

Janice Hallmark is a writer and a speaker. She has been a member of Toastmasters International since 1999. She has two absolutes in her life. “Never back down from fighting injustice!” And, “Humor is a powerful weapon, use it. I’ve always told my kids, at my memorial service, they have to say two things. That I was a good mom and I was funny. The good mom is optional. Funny is required.”

Book preview

Cat Burglars and Carousels

My Mom’s Descent into the Pit of Dementia

JANICE HALLMARK

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Copyright © 2015 Janice Hallmark.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-0612-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-0613-3 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 12/04/2015

Contents

Foreword

Preface

August 28, 2009

May 8, 2010

August 5, 2010

August 6, 2010

August 8, 2010

August 9, 2010

August 11, 2010

August 15, 2010

August 18, 2010

September 5, 2010

September 23, 2010

October 5, 2010

October 6, 2010

October 9, 2010

October 11, 2010

November 17, 2010

November 19, 2010

November 25, 2010 Thanksgiving

December 11, 2010

December 20, 2010

Epilogue

Foreword

J anice Hallmark’s book, Cat Burglars and Carousels is a story of transition. It is a story of how family responsibilities change. The story is also how Janice was affected by the duty she felt and the need to become the caretaker of her parents. A family starts with parents who care for, and nurture, the children but over time those responsibilities evolve into a situation where children must do everything for the parents.

This story is more interesting because the father and mother experience different aging issues. Her father suffers from Parkinson’s disease and grapples with how to transition from the hardest working man I know to unable to walk or even sit up in bed. Her mother has dementia and cannot understand the simplest daily events. Because of the father’s physical deterioration, her mother – with deteriorating mental capabilities - became the primary caregiver.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to the reader would be if this family’s story leads the reader to consider their own family’s future. Long before health and memory deteriorate, gather the family, close friends, and advisors and have a discussion about the future. It is becoming common for people to have a will, powers of attorney, and perhaps medical directives. It may not be as common to have an early, frank discussion about how to address the challenges Janice illustrates in this book.

Many people who grew up in the early and mid-1900’s believed that moving into an elder care facility was simply a sign that the end was near and they were being put into storage. Today we have much more knowledge of the aging process and how to best treat physical and mental deterioration. There are now resources in the medical facilities or in the elder care community can make this a more positive event. As Janice experienced, the transition may not be accepted by the parent, but the family will have resources that she did not have.

By engaging the family in an early discussion of how to deal with aging issues, the opportunity will exist for consulting doctors and care experts. Using that knowledge may make your family transitions smoother.

But as Janice says: it won’t be easy.

Denny Truesdale

Preface

W hy did I write this book? The simple answer is I had no choice. I didn’t set out to write a book. I just needed a place to vent. When life happens, I write about it, make a speech about it or turn it into a comedy routine. Most of the time I do all three.

My writing about Mom, at first, served as a safety valve. When the pressure got too much, I had to release a little steam. Then I used the journal to keep track of things that I needed to tell the doctor, senior services… Finally it turned into my sanity keeper.

Janice Hallmark

I invite you to come on a journey with me. I must warn you that it won’t be easy traveling. The path is strewn with jagged rocks and fear. The landscape has barren patches and creatures that thrive on