Mary Ann Drummond - Meet Me Where I Am: An Alzheimers Care Guide

Mary Ann Drummond

NEW YORK

LONDONNASHVILLEMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

Meet Me Where I Am

An Alzheimers Care Guide

2019 Mary Ann Drummond

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

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ISBN 9781683509585 paperback

ISBN 9781683509592 eBook

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018932814

Cover and Interior Design by:

Christopher Kirk

www.GFSstudio.com

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Praise for Meet Me Where I Am

Meet Me Where I Am speaks volumes through the title alone. Ms. Drummond inspires with insight and wisdom, offering useful strategies for navigating this journey with grace. It is an excellent and meaningful book and I highly recommend it.

Lisa Verges, MD,

Geriatric Psychiatrist, MemoryCare, Asheville, North Carolina

Mary Ann Drummond has kindly shared pearls of wisdom she acquired from her many years caring for patients with Alzheimers disease. This book will help caregivers and family members understand dementia from the patients perspective. Meet Me Where I Am is a must-read for caregivers of all kinds.

Kathleen M. Hayden, PhD

Associate Professor, Bryan Alzheimers Disease Research Center, Duke University

I have had the privilege of working with many who are on a difficult life journey over my 25-year career as a Clinical Psychologist. One of the things I do for clients is recommend a good book to help them through the difficulties they may be facing. A few years ago, I was faced with the dilemma that I did not have a good book to recommend for families and care providers on the journey with a loved one with dementia. I shared this dilemma with my hair stylist. She recommended a book titled Meet Me Where I Am: An Alzheimers Care Guide . The title gave me hope that the book would be a valuable resource for those facing dementia. Within minutes of beginning to read Meet Me Where I Am I knew that I had found the book that I would recommend to everyone on the journey with someone facing Alzheimers disease or a related dementia. Meet Me Where I Am provides clinically respected tools that can be immediately implemented to maximize successful outcomes. More importantly, it provides useful suggestions to help family members and providers maintain connections and relationships as the disease advances. I did not know Mary Ann Drummond when I first read Meet Me Where I Am . However, I was so grateful to Mary Ann for writing this book that I decided to call and thank her. That phone call led to a partnership between Mary Ann and myself to write a childrens book titled Grandma and Me: A Kids Guide for Alzheimers and Dementia .

Beatrice Tauber Prior, Psy.D.

Clinical Psychologist

For over 20 years in Senior Living and caring for thousands of people with Alzheimers I have yet to find a comprehensive book with information, facts, and the possibilities... until now! This exceptional book demystifies the principles and philosophy of living with Alzheimers and opens your mind to the possibilities rather than the heartbreak.

Richard G. Seifried,

Alzheimers family member who lived the journey

With an extensive background in nursing, a compassionate heart and an uncanny intuition about people, Mary Ann wades into the deep waters of dementia where many patients and their families are left stranded. Her acceptance, love and good sense are a life raft as she instructs caregivers and their family members how to be aware of the patients perspective. Whether you are a caregiver or your loved one has Alzheimers, this little book will help you make the most of the time you spend together.

Ann Campanella,

Author Motherhood: Lost and Found

You look at me with eyes of sadness when I dont seem to recognize you. You see me as confused and bewildered, yet I know where I am and who I am. Im in my twenties, raising my children, whom I love very much. When you see me hold a baby doll as if it is you, know the love you see in my eyes is real. It is the very love I will always have for you.

When you see me recognize a stranger as my husband, know that for me, he is my love. Meet me where I am. Please dont grieve if I cannot relate to where you want me to be. I have no control over the road I am traveling; yet it is my reality.

I cannot come to you, but you can come to me. I am like the taproot of an ancient oak tree, running deep into the ground. I am still me, but you may not always know what part of me I am today. Seek me. Seek to find where I am, and you will find a place for yourself beside me.

In loving memory of Dolores

I magine sitting in your favorite chair at the end of a long day sorting through the mail. An envelope, hand addressed with beautiful script-like penmanship, catches your eye. Inside the envelope you find a card with a picture of a light-house and the words You light up my life on the front cover. Eagerly you open the card and read the note inside, which simply states: I miss you and wish you were near.

The warm message makes you smile, but your excitement quickly fades when you read the signature and wonder, who is this person? The thought of such a personalized card being sent by an apparent stranger is unsettling. You reread the signature several times hoping the name will ring a bell, only to become even more confused and bewildered.

Was the card sent to you by mistake? No, that would be unlikely as it was addressed to you. Amazed over the mystery in your hands, you continue to search for clues. There is no last name and no return address, just a simple signature: Love always, Janie. It is postmarked from your hometown, so you decide to thumb through the pages of your address book to see if any of the names ring a bell. You notice the name Janie Cass and suddenly you remember... Janie is your older sister! Tears of sadness seep from your eyes as you wonder how you could ever forget someone so dear.