A Loving Husband

In today’s materialistic world, life turns to be a forced venture for many married people after the initial excitements of physical pleasures gets over and love remain as a forgotten entity. But there are few couples whose union gradually leads to the union of souls and true love blooms between them forever. Recently I came across a couple who belongs to the latter category.

The gentleman is a retired government officer in his 70s and his wife in her late 60s. The old lady has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the last 10 years and he became her lone caregiver at an age when he himself needs to be cared by others. You may be aware of the consequences of the deadly disease which is not so common in our country.

         

People with Alzheimer's disease have memory problems and difficulties with thinking and reasoning and eventually they will not be able to care for themselves. They also may experience personality and behaviour changes. For example, they may become agitated, irritable, or very passive. Some people with Alzheimer's may wander away from home and become lost. Others may not be able to tell the difference between day and night—they may wake up, get dressed, and start to leave the house in the middle of the night thinking that the day has just started.

Due to complex changes occurring in the brain, people with Alzheimer's may see or hear things that have no basis in reality. They also may have losses that affect vision, smell, taste and other feelings. The disease gets worse as it develops and at the critical stage they become increasingly unable to take care of themselves and their life goes back to the stage of infancy with a matured body. 

These disabilities are very difficult, not only for the person with Alzheimer's, but for the family, and those taking care of them. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's at home is a challenging task. It is often overwhelming, tiring, and frustrating.  The caregivers would be subjected to undefined mental agonies while witnessing the gradual deterioration of the person they love.

One can imagine how a man of 70 years old would feel when he becomes the lone caregiver of his beloved wife suffering from Alzheimer's. But the gentleman whose only comfort is the love and support of one of his daughters never shows a bit of grudge in his face and takes care of his ailing wife with true love, devotion and patience.

 
In a time, when couples getting separated after years of relationship or even just after a year of married life become a casual affair, the inspiring life of the old gentleman urges us to introspect how seriously we love our spouses.