Betsy Grove, 73, is known for going all out for her family during the holidays. Over the years, she’s planned and cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for her immediate and extended family. It was a role, she told Today, that she loved but had to let go of last year when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Instead, this Christmas, Groves' husband and their children will be in charge of putting together the meals and organizing the celebration.
“It was hard letting go and letting others supervise,” she told Today. “It takes a lot of planning, and I wasn’t up for the task.”
She first noticed changes in how she processed things in her late 60s. Groves was a teacher at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education at that time.
“I felt I was not as sharp and on my toes in classroom discussions, and I started becoming anxious as I was preparing my lectures,” she recalled.
That’s when she reached out to her doctor with her concerns.
“Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was my worst fear,” she told Today. “I was worried that my diagnosis would change how people saw me and how they treated me.”
When she needed advice, she went to the Alzheimer’s Association to help her process the news and tell her family.
“My fears that people would treat me differently were unfounded,” she said. “I’m fortunate to have a strong support system in place."
She even began the process of looking over legal documents, saying that "having my family know my wishes will guide them as my disease progresses.”
Groves attended a support group for additional help in coming to terms with her diagnosis. That’s where she met Red Harrison, 62, who also made changes to holiday plans after her mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis.
Harrison told Today that she was used to putting together holiday meals and taking charge of the kitchen.
“My biggest problem (now) is a lack of organizational skills,” she said. “It’s hard for me to plan and get everything cooked at the same time like I used to. My husband’s helping and my children are bringing the rest of the meal.”
Another big change? Meal are held earlier. All holidays meals finish by 5 p.m., according to Harrison, because she has "trouble processing information at the end of the day."
