Robinson Ramblings

I don't want anyone to think (including myself when I read these posts in the years to come) that we have dealt with dementia beautifully and without struggle. I hope that others that are going through this journey with loved ones will reach out for the help that is available!  First of all, we found a good neurologist (and his staff) that advocated for us and has a great bedside manner! We are so privileged to be under the care of Dr. Lawrence Green in Nampa. His office staff have been equally helpful and have helped me navigate getting the meds that Rich needs. Two of his daily meds cost over $550 per month and we needed help with those costs. I have learned to ask lots of questions, advocate for my husband, call the insurance company ALOT, and never assume anything (like if the insurance covers an occupational therapist). These lessons have been hard won and I've spent many hours on the phone - sometimes in tears! I am blessed with three daughters who are very savvy when it ...

I told Rich today that I was blogging about our journey with dementia. I felt that it was only fair that I let him know that I was making this public. He was characteristically upbeat and sweet. He said that he thought it was wonderful that I was putting down my thoughts and chronicling the road that we are walking together. He said that he wanted to use his journey to bring glory to God and point others to the Prince of Peace!  In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I lost my glasses this morning. It is humbling to realize that I needed Rich's help to find them (and he did find them)! Perhaps we both need a pair of back-up glasses! 😆 We have learned to laugh at many things that are part of our lives now. Rich's meds evidently give him lots of air bubbles and he belches long and loud (and dare I say - proud)!! I have to admit that the many noises that he emits is a bit irritating at times but usually we bust up and LAUGH! What can you do?  Rich's favorite sh...

Last year I memorized Psalm 139 and I am so grateful that David reminded me that God sees, knows, and cares about everything that is going on in my life. It has been and will continue to be a journey of faith and the purpose for this blog is so I can look back and remember what God has done in my life and hopefully, chronicle my growth through the journey. I am continually grieving the loss of my soul mate, my lover, my rock. I am realizing anew that God is the only one that can fill the void in my heart. I thought that I knew that truth before but now I realize how much stability and confidence I put in the team of “Rich and Cilla.” Many days I feel like a single person even though I’m not a widow. It is a strange reality that I often feel like I’m a couple of one! I know that doesn’t make sense – believe me, it doesn’t make sense to live in that reality either. You see, I can’t really share the struggles and cares of life with Rich anymore because it is too overwhelming or confusing ...

It is July 20 and the temperature is slated to get up to 95 degrees. It has been very hot over the past week but we have been enjoying summer to the fullest. Most days Rich and I sit outside on the front porch and have our morning coffee and our Bible reading. Now that our patio has been enlarged in the backyard, we’ve been sitting out there in the evenings. Our front yard gets the shade in the mornings (actually until about 2 p.m.) and our backyard gets the afternoon and evening shade. It is really the perfect scenario. Rich has been doing great! He is happy and upbeat most of the time. He gets confused and a bit disoriented in the evenings especially but even then he has been so sweet. The other night he asked me when his memory condition started. It was a hard question to answer because I’m not exactly sure. I knew that he had a problem the summer of 2017 and that we needed help moving forward. However, in actuality I had been wondering what was going on for a couple of years prior ...