ABSTRACT
Bob and Gloria had been married for 42 years when Gloria first started showing
signs of memory loss. Gloria’s disease seemed to progress quickly, and within a
few years, she no longer knew Bob as her husband. Instead, she referred to him
with anger as “that man.” Despite Gloria’s no longer recognizing their 42 years
of marriage, Bob, with minimal assistance except for adult day services three
days a week, provided 24-hour care for Gloria. Bob found pleasure in learning
how to fulfill new roles-such as that of a cook, a hair stylist, and a social
planner-and often commented on how he was surprised that he learned how to
apply makeup and put nylons on his wife without a single run.
