Mom had multi-infarct dementia. In a nutshell, she had tons of little strokes that did progressive brain damage. It's not the same as Alzheimer's: You don't fade backwards into time, you lose chunks of what you once knew, at random moments. Sometimes it's so subtle no one notices, but sometimes...
My Mom loved to play games. Clue, Chess, Monopoly, Rummy, Nertz, Sorry. She loved them all. And she played mercilessly. She knew more card games than anyone I ever knew, and was always willing to learn a new one.
Until she couldn't. One week she could play cards. The next week, she couldn't hold them, couldn't understand them, couldn't remember the rules, couldn't figure out what to do with them at all. The ENTIRE skill set disappeared in the space of one week, with no other notable deficits.
It was one of the most depressing moments I can recall of her overall decline, a watershed moment: There was no mistaking the loss, and no going back.
Tonight Babygirl, Em and I played Blokus (a board/puzzle game) and a round of Phase 10 and one of SkipBo. We laughed, ate chips and salsa, and enjoyed each others' company, and remembered Mom.
I am grateful, today, for the ability to play.
DeeDee
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