After two years of some stability in our caring arrangements, we are moving to a new stage.  Jill’s disease has progressed to the point where she can no longer operate as independently as she has previously.  She is having more difficulty with communication and appears disoriented more frequently.  On a recent Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) she scored in the moderate to severe range.  She could not properly identify the season, month, day or date.  She was unable to remember her father’s name.  Her visual spatial processing is deteriorating and her memory continues to erode.  Positively, her social and relational skills continue to be an area of strength.  Jill usually tracks the emotional tone of conversations if not always the content.  She smiles, laughs, and responds appropriately and she clearly enjoys seeing friends and family.  She continues to be the gentle caring soul I fell in love with so many years ago.

In order to provide Jill with an engaging and safe social environment we have decided to have her attend the Weinstein Center at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody.  I visited a number of possibilities and felt best about this option.  The staff appears caring and committed.  Activities include field trips and the utilization of the MJCC complex.  It is close to my schools and the hours are considerably longer than many other facilities I visited.   As Wednesday is a day that I do not generally go to my schools, but instead travel to the office in Stone Mountain, we will use an in-home caretaker.  We will try to continue with her spinning three days a week and hope to continue a busy social schedule on the weekends for as long as the disease allows us this luxury.