The Stairs

If you think of Alzheimer's as a stairway which the individual is going down stairs, you find that they may linger on a step for a time.  Things might seem stable and the changes seem to hold off.  They do, for a bit, and you adjust to whatever is the new normal on that step.  Then one day, you realize that the individual has quietly shifted from one step down to another.  Or, you look back up to the top of the stair, where they began and you realize that they're much further down this course of stairs than you had initially realized.

Lyn's shifted down a step or two.

Her language is noticeably reduced.

Her days are now interrupted again by crying jags.  She just "gets a feeling" and will start crying.  Distractions and redirections no longer work.  She will cry for a few minutes and then stop.  She's not panicked.  She doesn't know why she's crying.  She does appreciate you sitting next to her or holding her hand when she cries.

She's stopped coming into Mom's room in the mornings to wake her up.  Lyn may be awake, but she's either staying in her room or wandering the house for a bit.

She needs help picking out her clothes most days and has started putting them on backwards.  Mom now helps her get dressed daily.

When you realize the changes that have happened recently, you're left wondering how many more steps this stairway has for her.