Some Provisos

This is the story of our experience, as I understand it, in my husband’s singularity and in mine. It’s the story of dementia as it uniquely manifested itself in Dick Cain. It’s a story that demonstrates the truism, “If you know one person with dementia, you know one person with dementia.”

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 I must admit that my questions as to the causes of Dick’s dementia remain unanswered. His eventual diagnosis was probable “mixed dementia,” which may have included Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body, and vascular dementias.

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I should mention that my husband had a high degree of cognitive reserve, according to his doctors. Dick was, they said, a “high-functioning” man, due to his intelligence, education, and life-long love of learning. He also had a strong will. He held fast to language, to his integrity, and to his dignity.

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Before we begin, I want you to know that this is a story about kindness—of our community, family, and friends. They did not shun him. And, above all, this is a story about love.

Anne-Marie Erickson

Featured image: Elihu Vedder. The Fates Gathering in the Stars, 1887. The Art Institute of Chicago.