We're going to Disney World!

In hindsight this may not have been our best idea. We took my nana, with Alzheimer's, to Disney World. Here are a few of our fun time experiences.

As you may know, my nana was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's after bouts with depression. (Read Caregiving if you haven't.) She had never been to Disney prior to her diagnoses. My family and I had gone with her once before, but she was still in her early stages of decline. She was able to operate a scooter and such at that time. This trip was a little different because she was no longer able to manage a scooter, so we brought her compact wheelchair with us. My 18th birthday was coming around and I wanted to celebrate in Disney World. A girl's trip was on the horizon. My mom, nana, an old friend (who my nana loved!), and me. We all knew caregiving would be a big part of this trip, but we were very excited. Here we go!

Alrighty, so our 14-hour drive down went pretty smooth. We sang, talked, and everyone, but the driver, napped. We finally pulled into the Happiest place on Earth's hotel. First, we needed to check-in, we all got out of the car and headed inside. Once inside, a friendly cast member greeted us. She asked if we were checking in to which my nana shockingly and immediately flipped her off. We apologized profusely and explained our situation. The cast member took it in stride and got us checked in as quickly as possible. With this disease, not only do you revert on basic things like, hygiene, food, etc., but also makes you less and less aware of what situations are appropriate for what actions. This was a prime example.

Our next interesting moment came in Animal Kingdom. I wasn't privy to this moment, but I had known the strength of my nana. Unfortunately, this was in a theme park bathroom. (ENOUGH SAID.) (This will not get graphic btw.) I digress; we needed to use the restroom. We took turns, one staying with my grandmother. Then came time for her to use the loo. My mom and old friend wheeled her into a handicapped stall. She was able to walk, so they stood her up, and walked her over. Once she was finished, they attempted (keyword) to stand her up. I'd like to mention, these two women are very strong and weren't able to stand up a 60 something year old woman with Alzheimer's. She was a literal brick wall. They finally got her up, hands washed, and out of the stall. They were both sweating, heaving, and chuckling because they were in disbelief that she was so strong.

Next, enjoyable adventure was on the same day in the same park. My mom and I absolutely LOVE Mount Everest the rollercoaster. (For clarification lol.) We wanted to ride, while our friend wanted to see Pandora and we didn't think it would be best to have my grandmother ride. So, we made sure the friend would be alright and cautioned her not to take my nana into any shops because of what happened in Louisiana. (A story to come.) Needless to say, stores were not her friend. Well, our friend didn't listen. Mom and I rode Mount Everest, and the friend proceeded to wheel my nana into every shop at the entrance of the park. My grandmother became progressively more agitated and eventually erupted. She started saying ugly things to the friend, as well as stand up out of her wheelchair while they made their way towards Pandora. Our friend was texting my mom as we made our way out the ride and in their direction. Once we made it, we saw a stranger walking my grandmother up and down the bridge near the entrance of Pandora. Our old friend was crying hysterically. We thanked the couple, calmed our friend down, and went off to Pandora.

There was so much more that happened on this trip. I mean, on my birthday my mom stayed in the hotel room with my nana because she was too overstimulated. But, even with all that, this was such a memorable trip. There are times where we don't know what we were thinking but honestly, we were so happy we did this all together. Until next time. Bye!

Lesson Learned: Overstimulation will cause frustration. Whether in a baby, teen, adult, or a person with Alzheimer's.