I Was Not Listening

 

 One of the biggest problems when taking care of an Alzheimer’s patient is money. When I need someone’s care, I want to use my money. But Alzheimer’s patients sometimes can’t use their own money.

 In Japan, when someone has Alzheimer’s disease, their fortunes are frozen. Even the family members who are taking care of the patient can’t use their money without undergoing complex legal procedures. This system was originally designed for protect patients. But sometimes it becomes a burden to the caregivers.

 We try to save up for our retirement, but it is very sad if our caregivers can’t use our savings.

 When my mother had Alzheimer’s disease, I was not familiar with this legal system. I happened to tell a clerk at a bank that my mother had Alzheimer’s. The clerk had to officially freeze my mother’s account. But the clerk said, “Let’s make this ‘I was not listening to that.’” Then he taught me how to do the paperwork as a family member who simply had an aged family member.

 At least, in Japan, a fair legal system for Alzheimer’s patients has not been completed. There might be various situations, and making a perfect system could be difficult. In our case, I took advices from a lawyer, a tax accountant, and public servants. We have to find a way case by case.

 I am not a clerk of a bank, but someday, I want to say, “Let’s make this ‘I was not listening to that” in a proper situation.

Picture by Sato

Sweet Home

 

 

 My mother had Alzheimer’s disease. At night, she used to say, “I have to go back to my home.”

 Actually, I lived with her in her home. She was already in her home, but she kept saying this. My parents gave so much effort to buy the house.

 I listened to her carefully and found out that the “home” she wanted to go back to was located in the next city where she spent her childhood. She left the house a half-century ago.

 When we have Alzheimer’s disease, we want to go back to the “home” we lived in when we were children. We don’t recognize our “home” which we spent so much money on. My mother’s father passed away when she was a child. It is possible that she imagined her father waiting for her at “home.” She could have simply wanted to see her father.

 I have moved to many places many times in my life. If I have Alzheimer’s disease, which house would I want to go back to? When I was a child, I lived in a small old rented house. There were leaks whenever it rained. That house was a cheap real estate property. But I might want to go back to that house when I have Alzheimer’s disease. At least, in that house, there was a happy family.

Picture by by gttkscg