Deswita Maharani's Story about Mother-in-Law with Dementia, Already Forgot that Ferry Maryadi is her Son

"There is a nurse who accompanies her 24 hours a day. She is in a normal condition. However, she cannot do regular activities. So, she only stays in bed with the help of a nurse," said Deswita when met in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, on Tuesday (2/4/2024) night.

Since five years ago experiencing dementia, Ferry's mother often goes back and forth to the hospital for health check-ups. As a daughter-in-law, Deswita remains grateful because her mother-in-law's condition is still healthy.

"Physically very healthy. Every check-up with the doctor, all organs are good. Heart, kidneys, and liver are all good. It's just that the memory in the head," said Deswita.

Dementia itself is a condition of the decline in thinking and memory of a person that usually occurs in the elderly, usually over the age of 65. This condition can also affect lifestyle, daily activities, and the ability to socialize of the sufferers.

Therefore, the memory of his mother-in-law, a 43-year-old woman, is said to be unstable. Sometimes good, but sometimes she forgets many things, including her own child.

"We talked for a long time in the room, then I went out and came back in, and my mom had already forgotten and said, 'where did you come from?'. It's like we just started talking. She even forgets her own child," Deswita said.

Although her memory is unstable, Deswita tries her best to remind her mother-in-law when she doesn't recognize the people in front of her.

"If his appearance is different, not like usual, we ask him, 'Who are you?'. We laugh at ourselves. We joke with our mom and ask her, 'Who is this, who am I, and who is that?'. We tell her that they are her children," Deswita said. "Because maybe her way of thinking doesn't stress her out, because sometimes she remembers and sometimes she doesn't," Deswita continued.

Furthermore, Taufik Hidayat's former girlfriend said that her mother-in-law has difficulty eating. Therefore, in order to have consumable food, they use aids and the nutritional intake is regulated by a doctor because there should be no sodium content.

"Yesterday, she was admitted to the hospital because of low sodium levels. Unlike us, she cannot access sodium on her own. But whatever the condition of our mother, we are grateful, Insha Allah, this year's Eid can still be celebrated with her," Deswita concluded.