Finding Light In The Longest Journey
After forty-five years in nursing, I know one thing above all. I know that dementia is the most dreaded, least understood, and most isolating disease process I’ve seen. The progression of any brain disease that causes dementia makes most other chronic illnesses look like a walk in the park.
I’m Gail Weatherill, RN, known in professional circles as The Dementia Nurse. Two decades ago, I moved from intensive care nursing to home health and long-term care. There, I came to know hundreds of people with dementia and their families.
I saw the lack of support from our so-called health “care” system, the bureaucracy and loss of income families face, and the demoralizing absence of friends and family when they’re needed most.
But I also saw courage, perseverance, and nerves of steel. I encountered joy and laughter in the strangest places. As the years went by, I discovered the secrets to rising above what many will say is life without meaning. As I head into my Senior Statesman years, I’m determined to spread those secrets to as many hurting hearts as possible.
Why Listen to Me?
Because I’ve Been Everywhere But Up the Chimney.
A Glimpse of My Foundations
My maternal grandmother, Nanny, showed me the value of a life of service to others. She was the first elder I loved with all my heart.
“Hello In There” by John Prine is an anthem I will sing to my grave. If you love an elder, have a listen and see what you think. Within the words and the melody, you will hear my heart for elders.
Home is in Virginia, USA. I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains with the master of the house, a four-legged stinker named Ollie. My late husband and I met while working in Saudi Arabia. I have daughters, grown and living entirely too far away from their mother, and one beautiful grandchild, the light at the end of every tunnel I ever walked through.
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