sad day

I spent today with Dominic's grandmother and grandfather. They are both 97 years old have been married over 70 years. He has Alzheimer's and lives in the memory care unit and she has a one bedroom apt down the hall in an assisted living community. It's a great place such a caring staff and it's clean but it's not home. It's the best but it's not home. Grandpa is sad, scared and confused and misses his wife and probably most of his life. It left with a a lump in my heart. I vow to visit them as much as I can. It's hard to visit, it's hard to say good bye when you must go but I want to help make these last days of their lives filled with family and happiness and things to look forward to. I have an uncle that passed from Alzheimers so is it in my family? I don't know. What can I do to lower my risk? To know the signs? To help find a cure. We need better ways to help patients and I see so many similarities between my work with children with autism and the men and women in the halls today. So many. You don't know what the next 14000 days will hold so make really great memories to carry with you. I have renewed my vow to get healthy to make my next 14000 days count.