The way he was before

Mom talks about Dad a lot, both before he had Alzheimer’s and when he was suffering from the terrible disease. But her favorite phrase to use when she talks about how much she misses him is, “The way he was before.”

Mom follows it up by saying she could never wish Dad back with dementia. She says it would be too cruel and too selfish.

I agree. It’s always difficult to let go of a loved one, but sometimes death is a release, and should be embraced instead of feared.

No doubt everyone who has ever had a loved one with Alzheimer’s has longed for a return to the way their loved one was before. It’s almost like a new way of indicating time: B.A. and W.A. Before Alzheimer’s and With Alzheimer’s.