Home-Grown Louisville Cougar with Dementia
This five-foot tall powerhouse navigates the scary symptoms of frontotemporal lobe dementia (and possibly Lewy body dementia) with grace. By her side, husband Eric, who serves as her loving caregiver and also cares for Janice’s brother with vascular dementia. If that’s not enough, under the same roof they have two special needs sons – Christopher (who took these pictures) lives with autism and Zach battles bipolar disease and schizophrenia.
“He takes care of me… he’s one in a million.”
What a wonderful testimony for her care partner and husband, Eric.
Janice says her husband told her recently, “Even if we had known that you would have dementia when we met, that would not have stopped me from marrying you.”
Symptoms of Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia
When asked what symptoms she was experiencing, she shared a few of the common ones: forgetting, getting lost, and not being able to drive. She also loses her balance and therefore, this cougar uses a walker.
“The doctor says, it is possible that I have Lewy body dementia.”
This explains the scariest symptom of all – losing her sense of self.
It is so scary… all of a sudden, you don’t know if you’re really there or not… I have to ask Eric: Am I really here?
Joyful Cougar Gets Mad When…
When I learned of her “under-age” husband (that is, under HER age), I began to call her cougar. And being Southern-born and raised, the “Louisville Cougar” label stuck.
As fun-loving as she is and always trying to take the high road with dementia, Janice gets “mad” when PWoDs (People WithOut Dementia) tell her she doesn’t look like she has dementia. Then, in an ill-fated and weak attempt to connect with her terminal diagnosis for which there is no cure – yet – they further aggravate her when they say, “Oh, I forget stuff all the time.”
Janice Makes a Statement with Her Sparkly Purple Walker
Janice serves as a Purple Angel Ambassador. And it’s only fitting that she has the appropriate accoutrements to help in her mission “to reach people around the world.” On the her Facebook Page at Janice Swink, she recently posted about her fashionable one-of-a-kind walker.
Because of my unique walker my husband decorated for me, I have had the opportunity to speak with people about dementia. They will stop me and say how pretty and unique my walker is. That is my opportunity to talk to them about dementia! They will tell me they didn’t know the information I share with them! Because of my walker, I am getting to educate people in person! I love that I can spread more awareness about dementia!! Hugs to all!! 💜💜💜🦄 PLEASE SHARE!! 💜💜💜🦄
