I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about my brother.
His name is Charles Stanley, but he far prefers being called "Chuckie-Boy". He was born in 1963, the first child of our parents' second marriage.
It wasn't until he was about 9 months old that he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Our parents were advised at that time to place him in an institution and "forget he existed." They were informed that he would not likely live past the age of two, and he would definately be gone by the age of twelve.
Our Mom wrapped up her tiny infant son, vowing to care for him for however much time he had left, for God had chosen her to receive this tiniest of angels.
Well, to put it mildly, they were wrong. My brother is currently almost 48 years old and in good physical health.
After our Mom died in May of 1999, Dad cared for Chuckie by himself until he could no longer do so, for he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in June of 2000. The decision was made by Dad to place Chuckie in a group home. I was not happy about this decision, I must agree, but looking at him now and seeing how happy he is there, I know now that it was the best decision for him. He even has been trained and "employed" at a day program/ workshop, and loves his "job."
I obtained guardianship over Chuckie about 8 years ago. I love my brother with all my heart. I want him happy and protected. I think our parents would agree.
Our Dad passed-away in February of 2008 from Alzheimer's. Our Mom also died from Alzheimer's. Chuckie's doctor, caseworker, and caregivers at his group home are aware of the strong history of this disease in our family, and we have been watching him closely for signs and symptoms.
On April 11, 2011, the call came that I have been dreading. Chuckie's caseworker called me to report that he is in fact showing signs of possible Alzheimer's. He is very depressed, often breaking down crying for no apparent reason. He is getting lost in the building of his day program, a program he has been attending since 2001. He is having great difficulty remaining "on task" and requiring redirection and reinforcement of instructions for tasks that he has been able to complete in the past without problem.
We have an appointment to see his primary physician on April 15th to discuss his new behavours and explore treatment options.
In making this website, I had hoped that I would never have to use it for the caring of my own brother, but it looks like that day is upon us.
