Innisfail's Hartigan family is slowly watching Alzheimer's disease rob them of their husband and father.
“My dad was a smooth manly man who always took care of us,” said Lawrence Hartigan Jr. of his father, Lawrence Hartigan Sr. before he was diagnosed in 2011 at the age of 63 with Alzheimer's disease. “He wasn't old and we wondered if maybe he just wasn't paying attention.”
But the family is getting help, and thankfully for them, it is close at hand.
The stricken father's wife, Karen credits the Red Deer office of the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories (ASANT) for saving her and the family from the emotional turmoil of the dreaded disease.
“You know, the support group prepared me for what could happen and I really do think it saved my life,” said Karen. “I cry every day and I see my children tearing up when talking about their dad. Our grandson Oliver will never know his Grampy like the other three do. This disease continues to affect the whole family.”
Karen spoke of the support she receives every day, and has learned several valuable lessons from her experience.
“Last year, when I went to see him for our 45th anniversary on July 8, I told him I was here to spend the day with him and he asked if he could introduce me to his girlfriend,” said his wife. “I went to see him two weeks ago for our 46th, and he was not able to eat even though I broke down grapes for him.”
Karen said once he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011, it helped the family put the pieces together they head been trying to understand since 2005.
“He could read a book tonight and teach the course tomorrow; this was very basic stuff my dad was overqualified to teach,” recalls Lawrence Hartigan Jr. of his father, who was teaching basic carpentry at the Bowden Institution. “But one day he just sat at the kitchen table, totally overwhelmed at the prospect of doing this, how he was going to do this? He cried and cried, Mom reassured him, and when he was done that was it. “He never brought it up again but looking back, it was another blip on the radar,” added the son. “To be honest, the diagnosis was a relief. Afterwards we knew what we were dealing with, and it became easier to deal with the disease.”
Since his diagnosis with Alzheimer's, Hartigan Sr. has spent time in the Red Deer Regional Hospital psychiatric ward prior to his move to Ponoka in the brain injury ward and has been declining steadily over the last year.
“I thought we were well taken care of by my husband and we were, but it is very important that anyone, no matter what your age, to have a will and an Enduring Power of Attorney ready,” added Karen. “You never know what will affect you or your family.”
Hartigan Jr. said the stigma a family often faces with a parent or family member with any mental illness can be significant.
“It seems to always be the family's fault and we should all just ignore the symptoms,” said the son. “They'll go away, right? We found out they didn't. “
For more information on Alzheimer's disease or how to help families coping with the debilitating condition, go to www.alzheimer.ab.ca or call 403-342- 0448.
