Learn how to Have a good time a Birthday within the Face of Dementia

She is, variously, 72, 99, 102. Or, to my sister on the cellphone final week, “I’m 1,000 years previous.”

In the present day is my mum’s birthday. She’s 82. Besides I’ve lied concerning the date.

“Joyful Birthday, Mum,” I say.

“Is it my birthday?”

It’s, I say. “Are you aware what the date is?”

After all, she says, “If it’s my birthday, it should be the ninth of June.” Then, as a result of I’m clearly daft, “I’d always remember that.”

But it surely’s not the ninth. On the ninth, I used to be on the memorial service of an previous good friend of mine, of Mum’s. You do your finest. You break up your time. You lie about dates when it doesn’t matter.

As a result of it does.

“Whose memorial?” Mum needs to know. She remembers the title, she says, like she generally remembers mine—or, way more not often, Dad’s.

Her paranoia is worse. I’ve mentioned it earlier than: Dementia will not be a gently inclined slope to decrepitude, the place with a refined gradient you possibly can acclimatise at each stage. It’s a collection of deep and uneven steps. Each jars.

This, this new insanity, is surprising. “Shhhh,” she hisses, eyes spherical, finger to lips, “Or they could hear us.” They? Within the roof, she says, indicating upward with a refined inclination of her head.

There are interviews. One. Two. Three. There are questions. 4. 5. Six. There aren’t any solutions.

She is attempting to make sense of the cat’s cradle solid of Alzheimer’s in her thoughts. Pushing all of the misplaced items about attempting to type an image from the puzzle. And as I take heed to her, in silence, for I don’t know what to say, as I witness her very actual concern, her dedication to realign chaos as order, I consider Russell Crowe enjoying John Nash in “A Lovely Thoughts,” a backyard shed papered with press cuttings and webbed with string as schizophrenia crazy-paved his ideas.

Later she is going to inform me, nonetheless seized by invisible terror, “I cried and I cried.” Why mum, what made you cry?

As a result of I want I weren’t so unbrave. What has occurred to my mom’s personal stunning thoughts?

I make her a birthday cake. Lemon. I hope the tart sweetness will pinch her tastebuds awake. Chocolate is simply too dangerous; she’ll toss it to the ground when she thinks we’re not trying, the place the Labrador will snaffle it up after which have an allergic response (and I can do with out the drama). So lemon it’s. I bake a sponge to her recipe.

Six ounces of all the things, she used to say: “Six of butter, sugar, flour, and three eggs, or eight of all the things to 4 eggs. Straightforward multiples. It’s so simple as that,” she smiled.

It was. As soon as.

And for the icing, to cinch the 2 halves collectively in a bitter-sweet kiss, I make lime curd utilizing the double boiler mum gifted me a long time in the past and I bear in mind how she stood over me as a baby, serving to me make curd for the house economics stand on the native agricultural present, how she behaved as if I’d received an Oscar when my jar of protect was extremely counseled.

She won’t bear in mind. Like she doesn’t bear in mind the good friend whose memorial I attended, nor any of the handfuls of individuals there who requested, with kindly concern, “How’s your mum?” Like she usually doesn’t keep in mind that Dad was Jim, Anthea her daughter.

What do I do with all of the reminiscences? With all of the reminiscences she can not maintain, can not hold in her leaky-bucket mind? How will I hold them secure? If solely I might bottle them as I did my curd, a waxed lid to guard them from decay.

I’ll hold them secure right here, Ma. I’ll pin them right here for posterity. For you.

Joyful birthday, Mum.