Clarified

You are not a caregiver; you are a Lovegiver.

Care can be substituted for so many weighty, dutiful, responsible words. Love only wants what is best for the other.

Claire Dean's compassionate heart has always reached out to the suffering and grieving. She advocates for the many who are contacting her in confusion about Alzheimer's and dementia. Is it Alzheimer's or is it normal aging? She believes that life with Alzheimer's can be as beautiful and as unpredictable as the waves on a beach. The waves can either caress a sand dollar or smash it to smithereens. So, too, for a life with Alzheimer's. A loved one with Alzheimer's is as fragile as a sand dollar - and as precious.

When the stresses of pastoral care threaten to overwhelm her, she knows she can unwind in the peaceful, quiet cocoon of the home that she shares with the love of her life, Tom. Life is idyllic until the tentacles of Alzheimer's begin to invade her sanctuary. But, is it Alzheimer's? Or is it normal aging?

What would life with Alzheimer's be like? Would it be the mournful dirge she'd read about in some books or the madcap ride to oblivion depicted in others? Would it validate her beliefs or smash them to smithereens?