I remember Joel…we grew up together as he was a best friend of a family friend of ours…In junior high, he fell in love with my best friend. They dated all through high school and college, then married and had a family. I remember that he loved building things and fixing things and was always doing projects around their house….amazing creations, renovations, and other projects. He had a huge basement workshop full of tools! About 15 years ago, things happened and soon his wife realized he had dementia. For the last 10 years, she had to watch him and anticipate situations where he could get into trouble…24/7 monitoring him. But he kept his sense of humor and still could “visit” a bit until about 2 years ago when they moved into an assisted living situation. The development had all kinds of services, including a “buddy” who would come twice a week and spend time with Joel, mostly playing Monopoly and other games that he still enjoyed. Joel also went to and enjoyed movies on-site. It was quite a great situation with activities he could still participate in along with his wife, buddy, or even by himself if brought down to the activity room. His last 3 months of life were so sad with very little ability to relate, to communicate, etc…but…at least he had a meaningful life, as viewed by him and his family, until that time.
Submitted by Jan C.