LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A 94-year-old Las Vegas woman is taking on a personal project, writing her memoir. With the help of one of her caregivers, she is putting her life story into words, preserving cherished memories with her husband before they begin to fade away.
Dorothy McGleno is full of life.
“She’s so joyful, so it’s always been easy. It’s been for me a blessing just in the fact of taking care of somebody else, since I don’t have any family members who have dementia or have had to do any caretaking,” her caregiver, Lisa Marie Guerrero, said.
A year of lessons
Guerrero said she’s learned a lot over the past year.
“Learn to be patient, learning to be present. And I think for me, the biggest gift she’s given me is learning to be present. Because I like to go and I fast. And sometimes our joke is, she’s like, do you speak Spanish? Because sometimes you can’t understand me. Because I talk fast. And I’ll be like, so our joke is, I sound like Charlie Brown. Right? Correct,” Guerrero said.
Writing a book about dementia awareness
McGleno stays busy, and she’s now working on a book.
“This story’s about dementia and the awareness,” McGleno said.
It’s also about her life and travels with her late husband, Gary.
“Because I loved him so much. And during our conversation, or my conversation with him, I thought to myself, why don’t I do this for somebody else so they can save their thoughts and feelings after they are gone and rather just forget them,” McGleno said.
Preserving memories
She can’t write herself anymore, so Guerrero is helping.
“I would lay on my bed, or on the couch, or wherever I was, and I would tell her what to write. Because I can’t use my hands, all of them, they quite get tight on me,” McGleno said.
It’s a way to preserve McGleno’s memory.
“And I think we created this on her book, the footprints, because sometimes her memory is like a footprint on the sand. And the water’s coming, and it’s just washing away the memories slowly. So her memories are slowly fading,” Guerrero said.
And it’s sharing a message that love is constantly present.
“And doing the book, I’ve noticed she’s just come more alive, just sharing the story of her love story with Gary,” Guerrero said.
The goal is to finish the book by Oct. 11 — McGleno’s 95th birthday — and have it available on Amazon the day before.
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