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Woman shares a heart-wrenchingly beautiful exchange with her dad who has dementia

The love is there, even if he doesn't remember why.

Photo by Tara Winstead/Pexels

It's helpful to see examples of loving a family member through dementia.

Any family who has had a loved one suffer from dementia knows how incredibly difficult it can be. The CDC estimates that 5.8 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, which means many millions more are serving as caregivers for family members with dementia.

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, but there are others. For instance, alcohol abuse can cause dementia, which is what happened to the father of a woman named Bailey who has been sharing their mutual journey on TikTok.

Bailey's dad, Scott, was diagnosed with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (caused by vitamin B1 deficiency due to alcohol abuse) earlier this year, and he has been living with Bailey for the past six months. In her videos, Bailey gives glimpses of daily life with her dad and the ups and downs of helping him manage a life with missing memories.

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caregiving

Her striking photos of her father capture the struggles and rewards of being a caregiver.

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In late 2007, Safi Alia Shabaik noticed something strange about her father.

“He didn’t have the expressions he used to have,” Safi says. “His face wasn’t as reactive.”

Safi’s father was an immigrant from Egypt, and over the years, he’d carved out a successful life in America. Working as a professor of mechanical engineering, he was able to be a provider.

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Family

When his mother started losing her memories, he found a creative way to save them.

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Tony Luciani first fell in love with photography after his mother, Elia, fell and broke her hip.

While she was recovering, it became obvious that her memory was noticeably deteriorating, so her brother suggested moving her into a retirement home. But Tony, a full-time painter who worked from home, wouldn't hear of it. He knew that he should be the one to care for her.

Coincidentally, it was around that time that Tony bought a camera to take photos of his artwork.

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caregiving

The love is there, even if he doesn't remember why.

'The Wait' was originally released in 2018, but has recently resurfaced thanks to Reddit.

In late 2007, Safi Alia Shabaik noticed something strange about her father.

Soon it became clear:Safi would have to serve as her father’s caregiver.

As she’s taken on a caregiving role, Safi has learned something important — in order to be a good caregiver, you need to take care of yourself too.

1. Caregivers must — absolutely must — take breaks.

2. Bridge the divide with an aging parent using something that you — or both of you — love.

3. Remember that the disease and the person are not the same thing.

4. Don’t forget to exercise. Seriously.

5. And, most importantly, remember that you’re not alone.

Caregiving can be exhausting, but by taking all these steps, Safi has come away with a new understanding of her father, of herself, and of the vision she has for her life.

Helping the ones you love can go hand-in-hand with holiday cheer.

The holidays are right around the corner, and for many that means reuniting with family.

Here are 11 things you can do around the holidays for your loved ones who might not know they need help.

1. Have a pre-holiday gathering to develop a caregiving plan.

2. Offer to take them holiday shopping.

3. Bring gifts and family to them.

4. Use after-dinner time to maybe start a conversation about next steps.

5. Help them feel included in the holiday festivities.

6. Make them a unique holiday gift that will remind them how much they mean to you.

7. Ask them what fun activities they want to do during the holidays.

8. Encourage kids in the family to interview their elders.

9. Take a day or two and just focus on yourself.

10. Look at the holidays as a chance to test out new living situations.

11. If you live far from your older loved one, figure out how you can help from a distance.

The transition into caregiving can be difficult, but getting the ball rolling over the holidays might just make it a little easier.

Tony Luciani first fell in love with photography after his mother, Elia, fell and broke her hip.

The hilarious encounter was the catalyst for Tony's first photo series, "Mamma: In the Meantime."

But despite all her language prowess, she'd never really traveled. So Tony took her on a world tour — through photos.

While caring for his mother hasn't always been easy for Tony, what he got in return far outweighed any inconvenience.

Sadly, Elia no longer remembers her son's name, but Tony is so grateful for the three years he got to spend saying goodbye to her.