If you listened to our podcast today, you will have heard how about two years ago Tim Alden was Diagnosed with Dementia. Now, this is not that unusual. 10 million cases are diagnosed annually. What is unusual was the good humored determination with which they set out to navigate this stage of life.
We're lucky to have Tam's story below, as originally published in The Voice, publication of Panorama.org Also available is the heart warming movie made for PanoramaTV, produced by Brian Hovis. We've embedded that in Tam's story at https://itsnevertoolate.com/tim-and-tam-a-love-story-for-today for you to watch.
A New Wave to Ride
BY TAMRA ALDEN
From The Voice
It’s fear. Fear that people will see our gray hair, glasses, unfashionable clothing and make quick assumptions of who we are, old people on the downhill side of life, with slow reflexes, expressing world views seen through a 70+ year old lens of history, and now out of touch. The last thing we want to be accused of is “losing it” mentally. These were my thoughts when I began noticing my husband of 53 years doing things that seemed a bit off. I didn’t want to accuse him of “losing it.” So, I quietly observed and became more aware, going behind with corrections if needed.
About a year later, a trip to Urgent Care changed our world. We thought it would be a simple diagnosis of a bladder infection. Lab results were negative for that, but it piqued the doctor’s curiosity enough to request a brain scan, which eventually revealed microvascular dementia. This dire diagnosis opened doors to a brighter world for both of us.
READ MORE of Tamra's article at https://itsnevertoolate.com/tim-and-tam-a-love-story-for-today
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