Comments on: Blog 17: As Time Goes By

By: Fay

Fay — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:51:55 +0000

It was like that with all learning, Nola. Bill’s written language loss, for example, echoed, in reverse, the way children progress with that learning. Firstly, you would notice that he would write “hear” instead of “here”. Then you would notice that the “Magic e rule” had gone and he would write “hol” for “hole”, and so on and so on. Written language did not disappear over night. It went backwards, step by step, in the same way that children move forward.

By: Harold and Nola

Harold and Nola — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 22:37:51 +0000

Such a small thing, telling the time. I remember Dad taking time with me as a child to teach me to read the clock dial. Fortunately, in those days, I was a reasonably quick learner and to read of Bill sort of going ‘backwards’ like this has brought all that back. How precious memory is, and how sad to lose it thus. Nola.

By: Fay

Fay — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:14:21 +0000

It did indeed, Sonia. And the next blog, which should be up any minute, deals with the way inability to tell time affected Bill’s behaviour as he became further demented. Thank you for continuing to read and for commenting.

By: Sonia Hendy

Sonia Hendy — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:58:45 +0000

Fay, You always said Bill would get ready for Rotary or other occasions many hours before time. Did this in any way relate to his inability to tell the time?

By: Fay

Fay — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:34:55 +0000

Dear Sr Pierette,
It’s so good to hear from you and I trust your eyesight is still serving you well. It was interesting to hear that your father had dementia in his last years and he did jolly well to make it to 96 years. As you know, there are different dementias. Alzheimers disease is the most common, followed by Vascular Dementia, which is the type that Bill had ……. “a cognitive impairment defined by damage to, or blockages of, the blood vessels in the brain” (Jon Barron’s National Health Blog) …… and one which mostly affects people between the ages of 65 and 75. My guess is that your father died of that other dementia that they call “Senile Dementia”. Thank you for taking the time to answer. I know you are a busy woman.

By: Pierrette GAgnon

Pierrette GAgnon — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:43:20 +0000

Dear Fay,
Thank you for sending your observations of Bill during these last years of his life. I read all your blogs and correspondence with great interest as my father also suffered from that for the last 6 years of his life. He died at 96 so started much later than Bill who was still quite young. You brought back many memories of him as I read Bill’s story. Bill certainly enjoyed his time here in PNG. I will try to find pictures of him, I did not notice that he had signs of dementia when he came, if it was started, it must have been very mild at that time. I will continue reading with much interest. You are a good writer! Regards, Sr Pierrette