Mum with Alzheimer's has heartwarming reaction when reminded she's been married for 40 years
SWNS
2024-02-09
Views 2K
A mum with Alzheimer's had the most heartwarming reaction when she was reminded that she had been married for 40 years.
Patti Bell, 65, from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA was first diagnosed with the disease in 2021 but was showing early signs in her mid 50s.
Her daughter Molly Bell Deaton, 43, managed to capture the beautiful moment whilst in the waiting room after a neurologist appointment.
Molly, who works as an operations manager, said: "My dad had gone to the bathroom after the appointment, so we were just waiting on him to come back.
"My mum is tethered to my dad, he's the only person she knows by name, so she gets quite anxious when he isn't around.
"I reminded mum of this and she said how much she loved him, and how he's the greatest and just saying how wonderful he was.
"Because she was going on and on, I pulled my phone out and caught the end of it when I reminded her that she has been married to him for 40 years.
"That's when you got her great reaction in the video.”
Molly has described the hard times she had to face since her mum was officially diagnosed in 2021.
She moved into her family home for a year in 2022 to take care of her mum as her dad, Mark, had to move out temporarily to get help for alcohol addiction.
Molly said: "It was very hard on my dad. He never had any issues with alcohol before this but a lot changed in a short space of time for him.
"We had the pandemic and he was working from home more so I think he was noticing mum get worse a lot more.
"So I moved in for about a year on and off, but for four months, I was there 24/7 as my mum's primary caregiver.
"Thankfully dad is back home now with her and is doing amazing.
"He's been sober for 18 months now, he's working out and going to therapy. I'm very proud of him.
Living with a family member who has Alzheimer's is always tough, so Molly and her family try to find the joy and happiness in every situation.
She said: "Of course, it's a sad situation but we want to focus on the joy and the happy side.
"We want to share that there is still joy to be had after something like this.
"If you focus on negativity as a caregiver, it can take over and be awful.
"The good thing is I would say mum is still happy most of the time.
"She experiences sadness and can get tearful sometimes but overall she is happy."
Patti Bell, 65, from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA was first diagnosed with the disease in 2021 but was showing early signs in her mid 50s.
Her daughter Molly Bell Deaton, 43, managed to capture the beautiful moment whilst in the waiting room after a neurologist appointment.
Molly, who works as an operations manager, said: "My dad had gone to the bathroom after the appointment, so we were just waiting on him to come back.
"My mum is tethered to my dad, he's the only person she knows by name, so she gets quite anxious when he isn't around.
"I reminded mum of this and she said how much she loved him, and how he's the greatest and just saying how wonderful he was.
"Because she was going on and on, I pulled my phone out and caught the end of it when I reminded her that she has been married to him for 40 years.
"That's when you got her great reaction in the video.”
Molly has described the hard times she had to face since her mum was officially diagnosed in 2021.
She moved into her family home for a year in 2022 to take care of her mum as her dad, Mark, had to move out temporarily to get help for alcohol addiction.
Molly said: "It was very hard on my dad. He never had any issues with alcohol before this but a lot changed in a short space of time for him.
"We had the pandemic and he was working from home more so I think he was noticing mum get worse a lot more.
"So I moved in for about a year on and off, but for four months, I was there 24/7 as my mum's primary caregiver.
"Thankfully dad is back home now with her and is doing amazing.
"He's been sober for 18 months now, he's working out and going to therapy. I'm very proud of him.
Living with a family member who has Alzheimer's is always tough, so Molly and her family try to find the joy and happiness in every situation.
She said: "Of course, it's a sad situation but we want to focus on the joy and the happy side.
"We want to share that there is still joy to be had after something like this.
"If you focus on negativity as a caregiver, it can take over and be awful.
"The good thing is I would say mum is still happy most of the time.
"She experiences sadness and can get tearful sometimes but overall she is happy."
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