Caregiver with dementia....comparable differences

I have been a caregiver to my son who has Learning differences and Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Many of his learning differences are comparable to my deficits. Auditory memory,short term memory and written language. I had researched and found anything and everything to help my child. I always tried to put myself in his shoes...now, I am walking in them. The more research I have done shows me the path my son followed and the path I am following now. I now can identify with his journey. He continues to live at home and is now my main caregiver. We joke and say," It is the learning disabled person leading the person with dementia."  What a pair!

I never complained about my sons' differences but did complain about mistreatment from others who did not have understanding. I remember persons saying ....You do not look like you have arthritis......you do to well to have learning difficulties.  The same words are said to folks who are diagnosed with dementia at a earlier age....You do not look like someone with dementia......you talk ok and I can not tell you have dementia. Much work and time are spent  to look and act like we do, and by the way...how are we suppose to look and act? Many say to me they still can't believe I have dementia because I seem so normal. What is normal? I never understood that either.

I want to continue this discusion but, as usual, I have an appointment to attend and it has taken me way to long to compose this. Time flies. I want to talk about effort and actions needed to keep the advancement of our dementia at bay and how the medications and the mountain of work we do to look and act normal are deceiving to others. Till then.....take care.