Summary Of Jan's Story By Barry Peterson

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and recklessly growing at a fast pace, in that every sixty-seven seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s. ("Latest Facts & Figures Report | Alzheimer's Association., n.d.) The worst part of Alzheimer’s is not what occurs in the present, but instead, in what is yet to come. In “Jan’s Story,” the author and main protagonist of the tale, Barry Peterson, learns how to cope and live with the pain of The Disease, on a heartbreaking journey of love, loss, and the true test of how far will one go for whom they love.
Being a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s is a title and life one must occupy and fully commit themselves to. In the beginning stages of Jan’s diagnosis, Barry vowed to himself that no matter what, he would be with Jan every step of the way, until the very end of her life. He was patient with her and only wanted to be with her every second of every day. In his mind, Jan was going to beat the odds. He would maintain his role as her sole caregiver and together they would struggle through the disease. To his dismay, he quickly realized, “The Disease mocks not just the one whose mind it is stealing,

Barry took deep and well-thought out reasoning into the decision to move Jan into a facility to live on her own, without Barry or Diane, but rather with an entire staff of skilled practitioners. Many of Barry’s acquaintances criticized the motive behind this decision, but others highly praised Barry for it. Barry wanted Jan and himself to have the best possible life they could have, and by ultimately moving Jan into a facility full-time, and in a town she was the most familiarized in, with family members close by, Barry knew he had done his absolute best to provide for his