We own two French bulldogs, Max and JD. They’re naughty but adorable…basically gremlins with bat ears. They’re also my husband Wayne’s constant companions, especially when food is involved. But as loyal as they are, they’ll take any chance to bolt out the door and explore the world beyond our front yard.

I love a good walk. I put my headphones on, listen to a book or a podcast, and I can go four miles easy…just lost in the surroundings and whatever I'm listening to. I haven’t been on many walks lately. I guess with caregiving… I don’t know. It’s just one of those things that quietly got pushed aside. But recently, I felt that nudge to start again.

I thought I was doing an above-average job caring for my husband with his early-onset Alzheimer's.  Together, we were navigating memory loss like champs.  Routines were in place complete with bathing, meals and social outings.  I had this whole dementia caregiver thing down. No problem.

One of the early clues that something was off with my husband was confusion…it was the dog. Specifically, the dog’s meds. Either our pup was getting triple the dosage of his necessary prednisone, or days were missed entirely and he was one loud noise away from full blown Addisonian crisis.

Personally, I’ve always loved the excitement of air travel.  It’s the bustle of airports, the idea of a new destination, and of course, the tiny pretzels. But flying with someone who has dementia? Well, that’s a whole different adventure. It may not be quite as thrilling, but it is possible

Mixed nuts are a staple at my house, usually left on the counter for my husband to graze at his leisure. After opening a brand new jug of these pricey snacks, I came home to find over half the container already gone. That’s an ungodly amount of nuts for anyone to eat in a single day.