Janice Walton and her husband, Dan, were married for more than 60 years. They made every decision, planned every holiday together.
For six decades.
They raised their two kids together, providing them with a safe and secure home environment.
Dan was the love of Janice’s life when, overnight, their world went pear-shaped.
He began to experience signs of dementia. Janice found herself thrust into a role she was ill prepared for – that of a fulltime caregiver.
Then, Dan needed surgery. And after the surgery, his mind began to spin away even faster, to the point where Janice had to find a memory facility for him.
The facility was hit with Covid during the pandemic; Dan became infected and died.
Suddenly, for the first time in her adult life, she was alone.
This is a very personal story but one that is not unique. It’s the story of a spouse hurled into the role of caregiver with no roadmap as a guide.
To try and deal with her grief, Janice began to write. A lot. Today, at the age of 85, she is the author of one book and a newsletter, Aging Well, on Substack.
Janice shares much of her story this week on The Art 2 Aging.
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