ANNIE WOOD: The Artful Daughter - Tackles her Father's Lewy Body Dementia with Talent & Empathy

Annie Wood is a Hollywood native, neurodiverse, Israeli-American  actor (Good Luck Chuck, My Sister’s Keeper, Becker) an internationally exhibited mixed media artist, an author, screenwriter, and playwright. 

Annie was the host and co-producer of the nationally syndicated dating game show, BZZZ! making her the 3rd female solo dating game show host in the history of television. 

 The Hollywood Reporter compared Annie’s comedic chops to the legendary actresses, Jean Harlow and Mae West declaring that a new comic blonde is on the scene! Annie Wood is a find!  Annie was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and confesses to being a “creative compulsive.” 

 Annie can juggle kiwis for about 3 seconds.  (The fruit, not people from New Zealand.) 
Now you know everything. 
Almost...

Annie's father was diagnosed with dementia but only after researching his horrible reaction to the antipsychotics that his doctors put him on did she do a deep dive to discover that he most likely had Lewy body dementia, the kind without Parkinson's.  His main symptom is he has auditory hallucinations.  And in particular, one that recurred on a very consistent basis.

 After a stressful few months with ER visits and lots of wild times, Annie placed her father into assisted living (he was previously living in a senior living place with his own apartment without additional help) and is able to see him almost everyday. 

During the really chaotic time when her father thought the voice was going to kill her,  Annie turned to her talents to cope - writing,  painting, as well as other expressions of art, which resulted in 44 powerful  pages of art and poems that she shares HERE.

Annie is currently writing a play called "Nudnik", the nickname she gave the main voice her father hears, that is scheduled to be read at the Dramatist Guild upon its completion. She is thinking about a documentary short incorporating her poetry. 

 Connect with Annie:
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Transcript

Susie Singer Carter: 0:00

Hi, it's Susie. And I just wanted to thank you all for hanging in with us. While we've been on a bit of a break, while my mom has been going through a lot of transitioning, and we're still in the midst of it, but I wanted to get a couple of our episodes out. And just keep y'all posted and let you know that I appreciate your support. And I hope everyone is hanging in all you caregivers. And just know I'm thinking about you. And I know that it's been wonderful having all the support from all of you. So enjoy this episode and keep checking back. We will be here. We're not going away.

Don Priess: 0:47

Alzheimer's sucks. It's an equal opportunity disease that chips away at everything we hold dear. And to date, there's no cure. So until there is we continue to fight with the most powerful tool in our arsenal. Love. This is Love Conquers Alz, a real and really positive podcast that takes a deep dive into everything. Alzheimer's, The Good, the Bad, and everything in between. And now here are your hosts Susie Singer Carter, and me, Don priests.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:21

Hi, everybody. I'm Susie Singer Carter.

Don Priess: 1:23

And I'm Don Priess and this is Love Conquers Alz. Hello, Susan.

Me Undies: 1:27

Hi, Donald. How are you?

Don Priess: 1:29

I'm okay. It's a beautiful Saturday morning. It's supposed to be nice this weekend. And you know, we're doing a great show. So what could be better?

Susie Singer Carter: 1:38

Everything is yeah, it's it's I'm still on. I'm still on the like you put it the whack a mole of my mom's journey right now. Yes. Yeah. Medical. Yeah. If it isn't one thing, it's another thing my mom God bless her is been in and out of the hospital. Now. I think this is the fifth time since January. And from hospice now she's in palliative care. And which I'm kind of happy about.

Don Priess: 2:08

I think she should have been there from the beginning. I think that was the that should have been the path. Unfortunately, it wasn't, you know, landed her back in the hospital and like you say it it, it is whack a mole every single day. You're trying to deal with a new, you know, that's just something new thrown. Yeah. And it's whether it be from the caregiving side, the medical side, it's just, it's nonstop. It's unbelievable.

Susie Singer Carter: 2:32

No, it's exhausting. I'm just telling you, I think I think my mother is hanging in to give me fodder so that I can share it with everybody and be be a trumpet for this. This part of the of the journey, because it's not for sissies, and it's an it's certainly not it's the farthest thing from perfect this system, and it really needs revamping desperately. And I I'm not at by nature, like a combative person, like I'm not I literally want everyone to be happy and want them to love me personally. And I have had to go in, and I've had to put my armor on and become Corella,

Corella DeVille: 3:17

Anita, darling, no time for games. Where are the little Brutes?

Susie Singer Carter: 3:23

Like I walk in there, like, oh, god, she's god, look

Don Priess: 3:26

who's here? No, but they moved her to a new floor. So they don't know that yet.

Susie Singer Carter: 3:33

They don't know that. Yeah, right now, they still love me there. But I'm not sure that's true, Don, because I know. Because I think like the word got through. It's like hawk. Yeah, yeah. So

Don Priess: 3:45

what you have to be you have to you know, it's you have to be the advocate, you know, because you're not no one will be. And

Susie Singer Carter: 3:53

it's unfortunate though, that's what everyone says that has been through this and it's unfortunate you that we have to be put in these positions to not only be have our own personal you know, journey with our with losing someone that we love, but but then having to be so assertive and go against our, our nature, you know, and like everyone who's been there before me says, Oh, they don't like you. You're doing a good job. So, apparently I am doing a good job.

Don Priess: 4:28

So you take them out of their comfort zone, which is to bid do the bare minimum? Exactly. You know, the bare minimum is not enough.

Susie Singer Carter: 4:35

And yeah, but anyway, the good the good thing is is my god bless her my mom, she's still I mean, she is unbelievable. I mean, I just said, Mom, you're you're, you're you're making me have to step up so hard. Because I'm like, I cannot believe like this woman is God. I mean, I can't even tell you what she's been through and

Don Priess: 5:00

Just so everyone knows 13 weeks ago, she was given two hours to live 13 weeks ago and she's still going, as you know, she's she's not causing trouble. She just causes trouble every day. And that's

Susie Singer Carter: 5:14

I tell her, you're a troublemaker mom and she goes but I freaking love her. And if I can get her to laugh, I'm the happiest girl in the world. If I can get her laugh. And I That's my goal. I mean, I literally at the hospital last week, I put on a show, like it was she was only in half a room because there was it was, you know, was a big hospital. So she's in half a room, sharing it with the curtain. And I bring my phone, and I've got Broadway tunes going on. And I sold it. I brought it home. I did this. I just mitad razzmatazz, I did full on Chicago, and I'll have you know that one of the nurses joined me. Yeah, and my mom was like, at the end, I go down. I like I'm sweating. And my mom gives me what this gigantic smile just like you know, those wide my smile. She was just like, which is everything? Yeah. And so I was like, Okay, done and done. Done. Got my got my Tony. Done, done. Yeah, I literally, and that's hard to sell it in a small room that oh, your legs are kicking back. And I was like, There's machines everywhere. Not easy. I did it.

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Susie Singer Carter: 9:02

So Don, well said today everybody we have I been I know this woman but not like personally really. I just know her because we are we are colleagues we are you know as writers and performers and kind of a little bit of of Jill's of all trade I would say a little bit we like to dabble in a lot of things like like she's just this, but I thought I was you know, I have a lot of energy and a lot of interest. I can't know i She has so many. I don't even know where she finds the time. I've known her from the Writers Guild of America. We're both members of the CW w which is the committee of women writers. So Don, please introduce

Don Priess: 9:49

I'm gonna I'm gonna do that. And today our guest is Annie Wood, an Israeli American self proclaimed hyper focused ADHD or Hollywood native and a lifelong creative compulsive she He's a TV film actor, writer, poet and internationally exhibited mixed media artists who has published three novels. But as a result of her father's dementia, an imaginary voice has led her on a new creative path, a path filled with poetry, art, and a play chronicling the dark and often frightening journey she shares with her father, and that insidious voice. It's a fascinating and truly unique caregiving story and we're honored to have her share it with us today. And as an added bonus, we share her love for boiled artichokes, and we can't wait to talk to her about that, too. So let's wait no longer and say hello to Annie would Hello, Annie.

Annie Wood: 10:37

Hello. Hi, Don and Susie, I love that intro. I didn't know you guys like boiled otter.

Susie Singer Carter: 10:44

Of course! Of course..

Don Priess: 10:47

Now the big question is, Is it is it it's lemon? butter, lemon. Salted butter. Correct.

Annie Wood: 10:53

We'll do butter we do olive oil my husband's Italian. And yeah, so all of us the way with I actually get real garlic and I shoot it in garlic press. Right. So garlic, lemon, olive oil, maybe some truffle salt.

Susie Singer Carter: 11:10

That's fancy! My mother used to make them with like a Italian style, which is a different way where you take Italian bread crumbs and you put them in between the leaves. And then yeah, and then you also do you do butter and lemon, then and then you steam them so that oh that bread crumbs go deep down inside. And so with each leaf you get a delicious like surprise.

Annie Wood: 11:34

Wow. I used to do is I used to take garlic cloves and put them in the center and then steam it. I mean boil them with that. But any of these ways works for me. Any of you know

Don Priess: 11:47

You two are way too fancy. It's lemon and butter and that's it.

Annie Wood: 11:52

You know, Don, you're a simple man.

Don Priess: 11:54

I am. Some call me a simpleton. But that's a little different.

Susie Singer Carter: 12:00

So your practical artist in a lot of different mediums, right? I mean a lot. I mean, like sculpture, paint drawing, and I mean, you know, right?

Annie Wood: 12:12

Yes, you're correct. I'm a mixed media artists meaning just all the things all the mediums. And really that's just part of my exploration and experimenting. Hope I was hoping I'd find a favorite. And the truth is I just, you know, I get really into like, I'll just draw with a pen for a long time. And then I'm like, Well, no, I need I need watercolors or I need ink or now I need acrylic and then I spent a month teaching myself oil painting, which is a whole other thing. So Oh, and I'm now I'm learning digital with procreate on the iPad, which is also fantastic. So I just love it all. And I'm just trying to follow wherever, you know, the moment takes me, but I do kind of wish I could just find something that I love and stick with it to tell you the truth because I feel like I'd be calmer like more focus. But Ryan I just I just can't I just love to experiment with everything.

Susie Singer Carter: 13:07

I totally relate. I've had like so many different different dabbles in different kinds of artistic expression from jewelry making that became that absorbed my life for about, I want to say, three years. Like, nobody saw the front of me for three years because I was in my hole designing and, and, and I thought and then I got to the point where if I didn't hire a bunch of people I wouldn't been able to keep up. Because we were in stores like on Montana and in Fred Segal, and we couldn't. Wow, that's awesome. Yeah, yeah. And then I was like, Okay, I'm done with that career next. And then I Chuck Lorre, the showrunner Chuck Lorre is produced produced me and another girl in a in a pop a pop group called Two Chicks. Before he was Chuck Lorre, yeah and so and we were like on our way to stardom we had a hit song called Bad Dreams in Hollywood. And then then we did the song French Kissing in the USA. These are all written by Chuck Lorre and Dennis Brown and, and then Blondie came and recorded...

Annie Wood: 14:32

You don't understand how excited this makes me I need to hear these I need to did you do videos?

Susie Singer Carter: 14:37

We did We made one video.

Don Priess: 14:41

Well, she did, I didn't. I was in it.

Annie Wood: 14:42

I really need to see this. I need to see this. I need to see this. So wait, so you're gonna love this. So speaking of everything that you just said, just last summer my best friend since we were teenagers came to visit and I decided and I don't know where it came from. I just decided you know I've now Ever I've never been in a band and I've never like, you know, I really want to be a punk singer in a band. So I took one of my poems, and she is a musician. So I took one of my poems, she put the music to it. My ex boyfriend is in the music industry. I, my ex husband is the new so I've connected to the music industry a lot without being a music person. But I decided that we need to record this. So I called my ex, he said, Sure, come over to the studio. So I came over there with Melissa. And we recorded a punk song and then I did a I do a stop motion video. Little short mini shorts. And so I did a stop motion for it. So we're, the band is called queen, Wynonna, and we recorded this song. Because Wynonna Ryder, we're Gen X. And Wynonna Ryder we decided is our queen. And, and we have the song called bad day, Beth and I have a video so but that's it now. It's now it's out of me. That's fine. Yeah, sometimes it's like that. Yeah. Sometimes it's like that. But with art and with writing. That's not happening. And also acting. I've acted since I was my hook my whole life. So these are just things that are just part of me. So they're not things. They're not things that I'm you know, playing around with their things that obviously, I want to also make money and be abundant with because of course, this is my livelihood. I don't have any other job. Yeah, I agree. But that's amazing. And I want to see I want to see Yes. And I want to see your video now. I'm dying. I'm dying.

Susie Singer Carter: 16:28

Oh, well, get ready. Get ready for an 80s Delight.

Annie Wood: 16:35

Oh my God. I'm so excited.

Susie Singer Carter: 16:37

It is the quintessential 80s Rock Video - Pop Video

Don Priess: 16:41

Extravaganza.

Susie Singer Carter: 16:42

eah, we actually got we were signed with Rhino Records. And I'm looking at the review in my in my double CD. And with like, one hit wonders and we're on it. Yes. And it really wasn't a bonafide hit but we're on it. And, and the reviews, like the description of us is the best the best of the post, no, no, not Bangles. The Go Go's. Yeah.

Annie Wood: 17:09

Ah, so can't wait. And as a joke, I call I call my song a one hit wonder. But obviously it's not a hit. No one knows that. I share it on social media. That's the only place it is. So it's obviously not a hit. But I jokingly call it a one hit wonder.

Me Undies: 17:25

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Susie Singer Carter: 19:22

Let's move on from one hit wonders right I think because I because I'm just so fascinated because I saw you posting about your father. And at the time you you at assumed it was Alzheimer's and you were starting to use your your art to express what was going on which is always so powerful. Annie and and it's like you know, I always like to quote Leeza Gibbons because she was on our show and I love her and she's the first person that ever met with me when my mom was diagnosed and she's just my my been my muse. And when we interviewed her you know she was just saying she said to Emmys, you know, the important thing about going through this journey is one of the important things is that when we advocate we can advocate with what we do best. And, you know, she goes, I speak to people and, and because she's a journalist, and she's a, she's a, you know, a presenter and, and she has continued to present and to journal about this disease and create such an a profound impact, a positive way. And then she said in Susie, you did what you could do, which is do a movie. And so, you know, we take what we can do, you as a writer and as an artist, and you can bind that to, to share your story, because that's the only way that we can demystify and, and make the community stronger. So first of all, tell us about your dad.

Annie Wood: 20:49

So my dad, he's 97, he was living in senior living center, really nice place, but it was, you know, an apartment that he lives by himself in, and he would just go to the dining room to have meals with people. But that said, it was not. There was no extra help. It was just senior living in a community. But he's by himself independent. That's what it's called independently. So that's where he was living. He had a girlfriend that actually, after my mom died in 2015, he was living in this place. And he met Lynn, who was 90 and my dad was 90 something, and they got together and fell in love and they build together. They work together for years. Then sadly, she passed away last year after she passed away. This is when things started to change in my dad, so he has macular degeneration so he can't see barely at all. That's a problem. He's a writer. So that's an extra problem, because he's a writer. My husband and I, Peter, we started noticing that my dad was hearing a voice like a faraway voice. And at first it was just like, my dad was hearing in the distance someone repeating a phrase over and over again. And my dad was just interested by it. And he wasn't upset. He was just like, isn't that Oh, I wonder what that is. Did you hear that? Do you hear that? We never could hear it. But it seems to have kind of been keeping him company in a strange way. There was they were under quarantine there because the Norovirus broke out after Coronavirus, norovirus very contagious, it can can kill an elderly person. So he's not going into the dining area, his girlfriend just passed away. He's alone in his apartment he can't see. And now he's hearing this voice. So I think all the things that happened kind of like loneliness and isolation. I thought, well, it's keeping him company. It's really not a problem. It started to get more and more of a problem. When this voice he started talking, my dad started talking back to this voice. So it was kind of like when you're out on the street and you see some right right house person talking to themselves. And it's, that's

Susie Singer Carter: 23:06

That's what it conjured up in my mind.

Annie Wood: 23:08

Yes! And that's what it was. And when and that's an my dad is a playwright, he was an attorney really smart, really. So all of a sudden, it felt very sudden to see someone pretty together to suddenly having an argument with someone who isn't there. So yeah, it was scary and weird. And what happened was, here's what happened. We we got so not necessarily a diagnosis, there's been some normal aging cognitions decline, right? And, but this felt like a shock. So some people thought maybe it's an infection. Maybe it's this maybe it's that because it's it felt like that. He went in we got tested he he didn't have any other physical problem. But I remembered he had one of those tiny strokes he gets those little tiny strokes are called ti ti do you know something? Something?

Susie Singer Carter: 24:08

I don't know. But I know something. Yeah, yes. Yeah.

Don Priess: 24:10

I just heard of mini strokes with it.

Annie Wood: 24:13

Mini-strokes!

Susie Singer Carter: 24:13

Which can tribute to that kind of cognitive decline.

Annie Wood: 24:16

Yes. So yes, I sent that to the doctors, but they were like, no, no, that can cause it. This one doctor I was talking to said no, no, it can't be that. And I remember watching him taking him to my grandnephews breast and, and my dad just went somewhere and I saw him have one and months later this began Okay, so we have all of this stuff we have his girlfriend died, the quarantine, can't leave can't go even in the dining room. You're in your room all the time. This mini stroke happens then the voice the faraway voice began. Then it gets worse and worse and worse Months pass. Now it's getting around November 2021. It's getting really weird. So the doctor gives them all these tests. They don't find anything wrong. But they are now understanding this is some sort of dementia. Okay. So they get these start him on a drug Sirika the anti psychotic. Yeah, black, it's a black box drug back labor. Okay, it's a label backwards, thank you. And they tell me the problems of what it could be. And so at first, we don't take it, but then he's getting worse. And something has to be done. He's, um, my dad is able to talk to me in these moments where he's not having this conversation, right. Fascinating. We always have said, and yeah, yes. So we're talking about what is happening to him. To his mind. I said, So you love it. Dad, your mind your mind is having a moment. And it's, it's, it's telling you something that to us, we can't see. And so there's conversation about this. So my dad was able to say, yes, I want to try this or Yes, I wanted. So we try this drug. Oh, my God, how much worse did it get? Beyond so bad, like, like, it's like his mind was on fire. And all of a sudden, physically, he would like wish shaking, we had to carry him into bed at night. And all of this is feeling very sudden, because it's moving fast. And to make matters worse, it's myself and my husband that see this. My brother lives, like an hour or two further away. Nobody was really seeing any of this. My cousin's friends, he has family, we have people, but we were the main people. We were seeing all of this. And it felt like a lot. It felt like a lot. And I had to take over everything. Because he was losing his money. He started giving his money away to this in the Invisible Man. So I would come right, his credit cards are gone. Everything is gone. So I had, so I had to take over everything. And it was so sudden. Yeah, it was a lot. I was it was very stressful.

Susie Singer Carter: 27:13

It took you by surprise. You were sucker punched. Yeah.You were sucker punched.

Annie Wood: 27:18

Absolutely. And then finally, I'm doing research. I'm talking to the doctor saying it's worse. It's worse. It's worse. And that, honestly, they, It's like they didn't know what was going on.

Susie Singer Carter: 27:31

Bec ause he's 97. He's 97. And he's, you know, this is just part of aging process.

Don Priess: 27:38

Decline.

Susie Singer Carter: 27:38

Decline. I mean, I hear that about my mom, she's 89 The go, "Well, 89 years, that's a great life, Susie", it's like, you know, what, we don't have the right to decide when that life is, is done. And, and there's, like, I tell my mom, I can just picture you being a 95 year old pistol, you know, it's like, and if she wants to live into her 90s Then she's gonna live into her 90s If she you know, and that's that's the thing we can't dismiss because of a number.

Annie Wood: 28:04

Yeah, I will say that these doctors never did that. What they, what they did was seem to what they did was seem to not know what to do. Like they actually they said, they kept saying, well, we could try this, we could try more of this drug. And at the time, I didn't know if it was the drugs fall, because it was all overlapping. But then I did more and more research and and found out that antipsychotics can make things much worse for those with Lewy body dementia. Nobody mentioned that we bought a dementia to me. So I researched I went back to the doctor's I said, I think he has Lewy body dementia. And he shouldn't be taking it by psychotics. They said, Well, he doesn't present as anyone who has Lewy body, he doesn't have that. So I go to the loo Lewy Body website and I fill out the form and I'm checking every single one because I'm with him more than anyone. So I learned how he sends me. So I Xerox it. I send it to all the doctors I say, tell me how this is not true. I checked every single box. And so they right away said Okay, try this drug. And it was just as bad if not worse. So now my dad was thinking that the man was going to blow up the place that the voice is going to blow up the apartment. So he my dad runs out in his underwear of his apartment. He ran out into the rain one night, because he thought the man the voice stole his mail. He then was hysterical downstairs saying they're going to kill my daughter. He's going to kill my daughter. It was all this psychotic behavior. And it was

Susie Singer Carter: 29:40

Do you remember what the other drug was that they gave it that they gave him. What was the other?

Annie Wood: 29:44

I feel like it was Risperdal. Risperdal

Susie Singer Carter: 29:47

Risperdal, yep, that's the other one. It's bad. There's Depakote, which my mom was on that put her in a wheelchair and made her incontinent and made her immobile that was that and that's the they're all in the same class. It's was Risperdal. Risperdal. Yeah, and, and Sarah Sarah those three and they're and they're actually banned we have the guy from dope sick. Yeah on our show he's going to be we do this part two is going to come up soon you guys but it's all about Depakote and the and you know what it gets into our system. But this is these are the things that they use to mentally tether.

Annie Wood: 30:25

This is one of my drawings from the book. So Risperidone it's him holding the bottle. This is a drawing I did and it's on fire. Yes. Yes. So yes.

Susie Singer Carter: 30:37

Yeah, no, I thought my mum was was dead because when I went to see her they people have heard the story if you've listened to the podcast before, but my mum was was mistakenly locked up into the into the psychiatric ward for 72 hours, which turned out to be seven days. And what when I went to visit her when they called me, she was tethered to a chair and Oh, my God for that. And they said, well, well, she can't walk. And I said, What do you mean she can't walk? My mom is completely healthy physically. They said no, she because we don't want her to fall down. Why didn't know that she was on a drug. I thought she just had, like this huge shift in her in her Alzheimer's, you know, advanced, I thought she just got advanced very quickly. And, and she wasn't talking for us. She was like, she just was like the lights were on and no one was there. And then her. Her physician called me one day her regular physician and said, You know, I just had a I just had a checkup with your mom and she is on a drug called Depakote. Do you know what it is? And then he proceeded to tell me that it was a Black Label drug for people on demand that have dementia. And that, would I like to take her off of it? And I said, Yeah. And it was like, day and night. She never walked. Yes. But that she came back, but she came back to us.

Annie Wood: 31:54

Yes. Yeah. Good. Thank God.

Don Priess: 31:55

Something that's really important that you said earlier. And that's the doctors don't have perspective. They don't know what they were normally. They don't know them. So so any aberrant behavior, they may just, you know, sign off as a jet. That's them, or that's it. But only the family member, the people close to them to say no, no, I'm seeing differences here. And sometimes they're subtle. Sometimes they're massive. But it's so important to communicate that to the doctors and to have them take that information and take it seriously because that's the only way you're gonna know if whether whether it's drug baseline is with their suffering. Yeah, exactly.

Annie Wood: 32:36

And something else that happened with us that unfortunately, this was around the holidays, holiday time, and his normal doctor who didn't know him for decades, and she would have been very alarmed. had had I been able to reach her to tell her what change happened, because she didn't know him. For him. This is Kaiser This is decades and decades of Well, sure. Liars. Yeah. And, but so these were all strange new people that I was talking to. So that's a very good point, right? They don't know, what are we comparing it to? I was afraid that they would try to lock him up because he was acting very scary. And because he was not in any. He was in independent living. They call me and this was the valley and I'm in Hollywood. They call me in the middle of the night. Your dad is down here screaming that there's going to be a bomb. Can you get here? So I was going every night and luckily might have a very supportive husband Peter was with me for most of it. And putting him to bed and making Oh, and for a long time we thought he was taking his meds normally, because he was fine. He are fine ish for for Yeah. But it turns out and also, you know, a lot of the a lot of people with dementia as as you I know for sure know. Because now I believe he's had dementia for a while, but it was so light. And so he masked because he was so able to of course, he masks in a way that like when I was coming once or twice a week, it was easier for him to mask it. But then it got out of hand and he could no longer do it. But to this day, Peter and I are the only ones that saw the real dramatic, horrible stuff like when he he hit his head because he was in a panic and they rushed him to emergency and the entire time and emergency. He was having a conversation and saying that the guy the voice was in the next room. And and then oh, and he to this day, even though my dad is much better, which I'll tell you in a second to this day. My dad believes that I'm friends with this guy oh and that I was in a physical altercation with this guy. And my dad to this day believes that this is a real person but we got him on a different drug. Finally everyone listened. And it like overnight. He is not having any of those insane things. I got him into assisted living Four minutes from me, I see him almost every day. I can skip, I can skip a day if I want because he's fine. They take great, Tim. And he's not having psychotic breaks. But he, but this, this voice is just part of our life. He exists. He's and to him. It's a real person. So this audio hallucination is is part of the family.

Susie Singer Carter: 35:26

That's awesome. So do you. I'm sorry, Don, but do you say you like you would with any, any kind of decline in dementia is you lean into it? So instead of denying that it's there, you just embrace it? Right?

Annie Wood: 35:42

I naturally, I naturally am that way so much so that years ago, I was a volunteer for some a place called Senior Smiles. And they make you go through this whole course, if you're going to deal with anyone with Alzheimer's or any kind of dementia, and they, at the time thought the opposite to do the opposite with someone like that many years ago, and I was really young. And even though I was really young, I was like, Wait, that sounds terrible. That's mean, that sounds me. Why would I do that? Why do we care if this if there's no cure? And this person is already in that world? Why? Why would I do that? That's I should just improvise.

Don Priess: 36:20

You're not going to change their minds.

Annie Wood: 36:24

Right? I said, I should just improvise. I'm very good at improvised improv. Right? They said, No. So I said, Well, then I will be I'll visit other seniors, but no one with dementia, because I'm not going to sign this paper that says I'm doing that, because I think it's wrong. Right. And I'm so happy to hear that. That's how every the people believe now. Now that is the way

Susie Singer Carter: 36:44

Well, yeah, this, I always say like, you just have to look at the way we treat children. Would you ever tell a child that has an imaginary friend is like, okay, that friend doesn't exist? So come on, let's get real. No, you allow them to have that. And, and, and it is just part of that part of their development. They're going to develop out of it. But your dad is developing backwards into it. And that's okay, too. There's a reason for it.

Annie Wood: 37:09

For sure. And this is this is what I did do definitely in the beginning is that? I didn't say that I hear the voice too. I'm not lying in that way. Oh, yeah. And when it's something scary, I don't lean into that, because that feels that just instinctually doesn't feel good.

Susie Singer Carter: 37:26

Redirect.

Annie Wood: 37:27

Well, I redirect or I didn't know at the time, because I knew much less than the beginning. So I did other things, like, tried to have these conversations with him. You know, Dad, you know, you're a writer, and you're you're not able to write so maybe your story is coming out this way. I like I did other things with him. And he liked, he liked these conversations. And at one point, he said, you know, this is I said, Isn't it fascinating this is your mind is doing this? We don't see that that voice you hear doesn't have a physical body. Okay. And then your your mind is creating this character. And he thought he said, That's fascinating. I said, Yeah. And he said, You should write about this, which is why you should write about this. That's my dad. Yeah, so

Susie Singer Carter: 38:14

Oh, my gosh, I yeah, that story. I love that.

Annie Wood: 38:17

Yeah. Yeah.

Susie Singer Carter: 38:19

That's beautiful.

Don Priess: 38:20

He's blind, correct.

Annie Wood: 38:21

I mean, he's not all the way he's, he's legally blind. And he's technically he can see. shapes change from my understanding and light. So he with with a cane, sometimes just and lots of times with a walker, he gets around on his own. And

Don Priess: 38:40

so there's, there's no physics I mean, there's nothing he's never described this voice as, as having an image to it in its in his mind, or, or the sound of its voice or anything, as he described that at all.

Annie Wood: 38:52

Many, many times. I've asked all these questions. To this day. It's he's never seen him. But but that he had when he was on the drug, there was some visual hallucinations of somebody coming through the window and a dog coming in all sorts of things like that, but lately, not that he the voice sounds a lot like him. And I said, Isn't that interesting? At one point, the voice was very, he thinks this guy was very fat. And other another time he was he was he's the same age as I am. He says 97. So the voice at one point, it's this is in my book as well. In a poem, he he believes that I had a physical altercation with the voice, and that I threw water on him and I fought with him. And he's and he was so worried that this voice was gonna hurt me. And I said, well, didn't you say he's the same age as you? He's 97. And he said, Yeah, and I said, Well, you don't think I could take on a 97 year old. So then he changes it.

Susie Singer Carter: 40:01

I love it.

Don Priess: 40:02

So, when he's, so if you're there, and he's hearing the voice, yeah. And he's conversing with the voice. Do you try to get involved in that conversation? Or do you just kind of let it go?

Annie Wood: 40:15

Yeah. So when this was happening, which was the end of last year, early this year? I, I was I did so well, what did he say? So I was because my dad would often say, Did you hear that? Did you hear that? And I would have to always remind him, No, I can't hear him. He's, I started the whole thing off by saying, he's only for you. He's only for you. Because we can't experience Him. So you have to tell me if you want. And so he would tell me what, what the guy said. And oftentimes, the voice was amused by me and liked me. So that's nice. But other times, he, he was gonna hurt me. But not when I was there. That always happened when I wasn't there. I don't know. But yeah, I always I always asked, I'm extremely interested, I find all of this fascinating. Fascinating. Obviously, it's, it's scary and sad, and all those other things, but endlessly fascinating. And as an artist in the way, you know, as we all think, as artists, and writers and creatives. It's, it just feels like, Wow, just, it's just, it's just I

Susie Singer Carter: 41:29

think it's fascinating to me, because it's like, what the fact that he was isolated and a lot of people did not do well, during the isolation that were that were living in assisted living. And like a lot of the residents that I knew, were my mom is that who were in the 90s. And really, you know, for the most part healthy and not experiencing dementia at all, just you know, natural decline, but very, very vibrant people in the community passed away, because isolation is just deadly, its deadly. And it's interesting that well, my mother, obviously made it through that isolation. And I think it's partly a lot because of her Alzheimer's, because she lives in the moment. So she's not missing anything. Right. So so it's just the moment moment moment, she can't, she can't ruminate on what she's what's lament. Right. And then when you think about your dad and having this voice to keep him company, and then you think about the the correlation that you talked about people that that are, you know, homeless, that are also in a way isolated, in their own in their own framework, right. And then they they create these these friends, or these enemies or whatever, it's just some something to fill their world. Yeah. So they have to have a social life if the if if lack of a better word. And it's interesting that that, that that happens with with people that are surviving, that an isolate an isolated kind of

Annie Wood: 43:07

Yeah, exist. And you know, and I think every Yes, absolutely, and I and I think every human being obviously has a has a different story. It from my dad's case, I really believe had his eyesight not gotten so bad that he could no longer type that he, he would have continued to live out his stories in his plays. He's super prolific, like he has 1000s were the same that way he and I, we, when we write, we write, and there's a lot, a lot of stuff. So he would be constantly writing. I know it in growing up, he went into his little Writing Studio, and he wrote, he wrote forever, you know, so I feel like he would have been able to handle the isolation better had he had that. Losing that, right. It's like he didn't know what to do with himself. It was just a news 24/7. Which we know

Don Priess: 44:01

it's survival. If he went It's a survival. Yeah. And, you know, yeah, it now when you decide, I don't know, if you decided to create art from this already, it just happened. Did it? Did it come out in the form of poetry in words first or in art first?

Annie Wood: 44:21

Oh, that's an excellent question. Yeah, let me let me try to answer that with some kind of thought, hang on, you know. Can I both of these parts of me is so without thought. It's so I just do it. Like, it's part of me. It's like breathing. So when I was there, I would doodle him while I'm talking to him, which is just something I do. It's like something my my hand will do. But I'm also always always writing and so and so like journaling, let's say, things can come out in a poetic way, then I decide to take it out of my journal and make it a poem, and maybe share it, maybe not. But, um, so really, it's kind of, in this case feels like both because at some point, I merged them. And I put the writing with a drawing or a painting. But maybe writing because writing it has always been my innate my go to since I was a child, so maybe that's what naturally happened. And and then my hand started moving to doodle. And it's, I don't think I answered your question. It merged both both of you. No,

Don Priess: 45:40

no. You did actually. And, and are the words from his perspective, yours or a combination?

Annie Wood: 45:48

Would you like me to read you one?

Susie Singer Carter: 45:50

Yes, I was just gonna invite

Annie Wood: 45:52

one. So it's also photography. Some of it is is photography, and some of it is drawing and painting. This is a photo.

Don Priess: 46:01

Beautiful.

Annie Wood: 46:02

Thank you. I tell you, it's a song stuck in your head. But the lyrics keep changing. It's confusing. It's annoying, but it can't hurt you. It is not flesh and blood. It is only a song. I am real. I am real. I am real. He insists he's a writer. You tell me. I say because you are a writer. Do you like my work? Do you like my work? Do you like my work? Later, you will hear his writing and tell me that he is a sensational writer. I say just like you. You say no, he's much better. It turns ugly. When the voice threatens violence against me. When the voice wants to rob you. The voice stole your mail and you ran out into the rain. You are worried about me. The voice is coming after me. The voice wants to kill me. He is a con man, a bad guy, the most terrible person I've ever met you say I tap into a calm I didn't know I possess surprising myself. I put my hand on your knee and speak softly that your mind is having a moment and causing this voice to emerge. Your mind is creating dialogue for all of your fears. But he is only a character in one of your plays. And the character can't come to life and harm the playwright or the audience. The stage is your mind. And he can't leave the stage. You think about this for a moment. He's in my mind. Yes. Wow. That's fascinating.

Susie Singer Carter: 47:26

Before that is heavenly. Do you read those to his heavenly? Thank you. I just want to I want to ruminate on that for a second. That was just so so much in that. There's so many things in that because it was his lucidity comes through. And his his intelligence came through in that conversation ratio. And his fear that he was not there to protect you. Yes. And his fear. Right. Yeah. Right. It's very, it's very poignant. Yeah.

Annie Wood: 48:00

Yes. Yeah.

Susie Singer Carter: 48:02

Yeah. And you're and you're, you're into intuitive talent to to say to him, that he that this this person, this character can't hurt the playwright. Yeah. Because the playwright decides who does what? Yes. Like, so yeah, gave him the idea and control the code. Yes. Exactly. Exactly. That's beautiful. Annie.

Annie Wood: 48:28

Thank you. So love that too.

Susie Singer Carter: 48:30

And you know, what, it actually it actually crosses over into, into all all kinds of caregiving. And that, you know, I think we create things to to fears that we think that we can't control. And at the end of the day is really, it we have the power to control it. Yeah. And we, it's us, and we just have to figure out the best way and the and the, the tools that we need to do that. And you know, and you gave your dad tools. You just gonna have to remind him from time to time, that's

Annie Wood: 49:03

all. Exactly.

Susie Singer Carter: 49:05

Exactly right.

Don Priess: 49:07

And do you share those with him? And if so, what is his reaction to it?

Annie Wood: 49:10

That's a excellent question. I share I shared many of them during, in his moments where I thought he could appreciate and he you know, I don't know how much he takes in because he can't listen to it the way my dad that I used to know can because he's too in it. And for, for his hearing, he's hearing it and he hears the beauty of the rhythm, which he appreciates me as a writer we always have had a mutual Okay, so he appreciates that. He can't see the artwork well enough to say anything about that. But to him, the voice is real. so it doesn't, it's not the same effect, if this were a movie that he was watching about someone else, okay? But the fact that it's about him, I see it in his voice, he can't really make it make sense for him. So I've made the decision to not continue to share. So the answer is no, he hasn't seen the book. I told him about it. I told him, it's dedicated to you and inspired by you. And I'm giving part of the proceeds to the dementia Society of America. And he loves all this in theory, and he wants me to bring it to him, but he forgets obviously, about it. So and I only want to do what's best for for him. In this case. I want to do what's best for everyone, obviously, but I don't think I don't think it will. It will help him. Maybe some of them will. And

Susie Singer Carter: 50:58

yeah, I don't think it's gonna resonate. I think you're, I think you're, you're, you're intuitively, you know, gifted so and I feel like that's been my superpowers. That's because I'm not educated in this. This isn't, you know, aging. And I mean, literally, it just hit me by surprise to with my mom. So she's had this for 16 years now. So wow, just you know, a dynamic. Yeah, a dynamic woman just, you know, walk backwards out the door really slowly. Wow. Slowly, so I'm when I made the movie about her, my mom and the girl, and she met Valerie Harper. And Valerie just loved her and Valerie. They spent like hours together singing and holding hands and kissing. They just were Kismet. Right? And, and I would come to her and I tell her like I showed her the trailer one day and I said, Mom, do you want to see the trailer? I said, you're you're about to be so famous. And I tell her and she like looks at me like what? And I go Yeah, and I tell her I said remember Valerie Harper, do you remember Rhoda from from? Mary Tyler Moore and she'd go yes. And I go, well, she's playing you in a movie? What? Why? I'd say wow, terrific. That's true.

Annie Wood: 52:11

I love it. So that's that what's amazing. Okay, so she she remembers Valerie Harper. She remembers Rhoda, she remember

Susie Singer Carter: 52:18

at that time she did at that time? Yeah. Yeah, but I didn't I didn't show her the movie because but she didn't have she could she couldn't Concentrate. Concentrate it. And, and I didn't feel that it would have resonated the way you sing. I think I do. Yeah, it because there was so much. Yeah, she couldn't tell because she's so in her in her story. Yes. It's hard to compartmentalize.

Annie Wood: 52:43

Yes. Yes. Yeah, I agree. It's that that's how I'm feeling. Yeah, yeah.

Susie Singer Carter: 52:48

And I think it's the ones the Kinder thing to do is just to say you are an inspiration. And I've tell her that all the time. I do it now. And she can she She only said like two weeks ago. I love you to me and hasn't really spoken since she tries but she the words don't aren't coming out. Yeah, I see them here. I see her looking for them. And then she goes and then they she's losing that ability to match. What when

Annie Wood: 53:13

that just started that hurt her not talking about just started.

Don Priess: 53:17

Oh, well, it's been decreasing and decreasing the her ability to talk but she would always talk until the last you know, three months when all of this started. The I love you that came out a couple of weeks ago. Like just a whisper. It's the only thing she said

Susie Singer Carter: 53:32

it was fully articulated. It was like I was lucky. Don was there with me now just out of nowhere. She just went I love you. Like just clear as a bell. Oh,

Don Priess: 53:41

yeah, that she's nuts. Oh, I'm excited. I said before.

Susie Singer Carter: 53:45

Yeah, I knew how hard that was for her to do it. Because to get that to pull the words I see are trying to pull the words. I see her and as for her to do it, match it with the muscles and get it out there was just a gift. So yeah, it's it's really, it's extraordinary, this whole process and we just have to keep clocking where they're at, right? And that's

Don Priess: 54:13

what one thing that you said is is maybe one of the most important tools in a caregivers arsenal is intuition. You know, you can listen to all the medical facts the doctor this you should do this, you shouldn't do this and your intuition and that is knowing that person is it's so important you both have it fortunately for the people that you're caregiving for, but it's I think it's highly underrated and it's something that any great caregiver needs to have. So

Annie Wood: 54:43

yeah, that's so true because everyone has different we can't just all the noise Yeah, yeah.

Susie Singer Carter: 54:48

Nana No, yeah. Because Because studies and and data is are just you know, that's that's like an aggregated average, but we are none of us are average. That's just that, right. So there's X factors for all of us. And I keep reminding the doctors that and I, ad nauseam is like, yes. But that's not a blanket that does, right. It's not a blanket. You can't say that. You know what, when she went into the hospital last week, no one thought she would make her 89th birthday she did. My granddaughter who's two years old. She came in, we had a little party for her. She climbed into bed with my, with my mom, nanny and just patting her and kissing her and hugging her and getting in. And like my mom was woke up my mom was like, and then kissing her and they both were kissing each other and smiling and laughing. They had a whole nonverbal conversation. So I showed everybody at the hospital, by the way, I know she does. doesn't talk, but she's alive.

Annie Wood: 55:47

Watch. Yes. Oh, my God.

Don Priess: 55:52

So they know. Because there's people there who have who have said the opposite, who basically are said, you know, she, well, this one person there said, Oh, well, she you know, she has holes in her in her brain. So, you know, she doesn't know.

Annie Wood: 56:08

Doctor Who says these things. Who is that? Is that a nurse or a doctor?

Susie Singer Carter: 56:15

No, no, it was it was a part of the A part of the the hospice team. Just say that it was part of the hospice team.

Annie Wood: 56:23

Hey, yeah, come on. Oh, it is. so bizarre. I

Susie Singer Carter: 56:29

don't know, folks.

Don Priess: 56:33

That's the attitude. It doesn't matter anyway. Because they you know, they don't know. They don't? They don't know. So

Annie Wood: 56:41

you know, it's been proven that people I remember many years ago, before I was born ima, that's Hebrew for mom, my mom would tell me about when she was in a coma. And she heard absolutely everything. And she came out of this coma to tell everyone what everyone said. So all these people for all these years saying, Oh, they can't hear they're not even there. It's not even true. At all. Like it's

Don Priess: 57:06

yeah, they don't have the skill to let you know that they know. But they know. Yes. Yeah. So you're so in all your spare time. It seems as though I guess your your, if your father has a nickname for his, his voice, and now you're creating a play of the same name. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah.

Annie Wood: 57:25

So Nick is a Yiddish for pain in the ass. So I named the voice, Nick, for Nick, Nick. And because the voice is a pain in the ass, because it's caused, it keeps me up at night. It's constantly causing a lot of chaos and raucous. So I started writing a play. And the dramatist guild is going to do a reading of it in a couple of weeks.

Susie Singer Carter: 57:50

So if I can't, because, yeah, still

Annie Wood: 57:54

reading, I'm still writing it. It's a two person play. Daughter, father and daughter. And it's inspired by these events. But I needed to, obviously change many, many things. Because my father and I really don't have a lot of conflict. So it's an interesting thing that happened, but it doesn't make for a whole play. So I have to create these characters to be different than who we are. But it was inspired by these events. Yeah,

Susie Singer Carter: 58:21

beautiful, beautiful, but it'll help people that aren't like you. So in that same situation, so it will, it will give a nice framework for that. And that's that's a great thing. Yeah, I love that. So

Don Priess: 58:35

out of out of all this darkness comes art and light. Always, you know, it's it's, you know, if you don't talk about because, yeah. Yeah, what's, what's the alternative is just doom. That's the alternative. So that's what we and everyone should do it in their own way, you know, whether they're artists or not, but it is taking and finding those moments and finding the light and finding the humor.

Annie Wood: 58:58

Amen. Yes, you have to

Susie Singer Carter: 59:02

even our darkest, darkest of times.

Annie Wood: 59:05

Yes, heals. What when my when my brother died many years ago, I wrote a play called sitting Shiva. When my mom died, and we were extremely close. I wrote everything that I've ever done after that, that was in 2015 has really been fueled by by her and losing hospice with her and in seeing her way out.

Susie Singer Carter: 59:30

I wrote that's where I'm at now. Yeah,

Annie Wood: 59:33

exactly. The my the book that I just wrote that's out now just a girl in the world. There's so much so much of the grief, and and all of that I put in these characters, and it's all comes from that all of it. In fact, I wasn't even a visual artist until until my mom died. And then suddenly, I needed to create visual art everywhere. And I do it every single day. You know, and it's all my

Susie Singer Carter: 59:59

mom is my ration to my mom is is just getting all this like amazing things come through her to me. And I love her so much. She's my best friend. I just love her like, like she's just a one of a kind and you know, the world's the world will be not as bright when she's gone. I know that even even in the state that she's at people go, Oh, your mom is so sweet. She doesn't even talk. They love her so much. She just has this incredible spirit to her. And an energy. Yeah. And so I get it. And I'll tell you until really quickly when she was they thought she was dying, like Don said, like, eight weeks ago, nine weeks ago now. And that doctor at the hospital said, because they intubated and said, you know,

Don Priess: 1:00:46

she was 13 weeks ago? Yeah. Was

Susie Singer Carter: 1:00:48

it 13 weeks ago? Yeah. Okay, 13 weeks ago, and my and they said they took her they said to me, you know, she's on life support, what do you want to do? And of course, you know, if my mom's on life support, then I don't want her to live on life support. So we made the decision to take her off life support and am. And he said, Yeah, she'll probably pass away within about two hours to a day, maximum. Right? So took her off. day goes by. And this is like no food, no water, nothing like she's read, she's ready to die, right? And so we're going through the whole give her, you know, push her over the over the fence like Russain go, you know, it's emotional. It's couldn't be more emotional. And two days go by and three days go by and my nephew and my daughters are there and we're by bedside, you know. And like, at one point at three in the morning on like, the the fourth night, my nephew is there and I'm like a basket case because I haven't slept so he he says he can see her grimacing when I cry. So I've tried not to cry in front of her. So I'm like, behind him crying and he's holding her hand and literally, we're kicking her out of the world. We're going to go on out of here, right? And, and finally, like 40 minutes goes by and my nephew looks at me and he goes out, Suze. I don't think she's going I go what? He goes, she just opened her eyes and she's, and she's smiling and looking around. I go what I look at my mom and she's like, looking like

Don Priess: 1:02:25

fentanyl, fentanyl. They had it on fentanyl. That's how they were, you know, so she hadn't opened her eyes in five days or four days.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:02:34

I'm like, I go mom like you a little Yiddish because that's how I can I can connect with her with between music and that and I go Mom, what are you discovered darling all over the place. Which means you know, she's a scandal. And so she she goes like this. She goes. Just starts laughing about it. I go. Oh, that's really funny. Thank you for putting me through hell. Thank you. She's like, well got the family together. Got the family together, didn't it?

Annie Wood: 1:03:05

She's still having fun. If she's still having fun. Why go?

Susie Singer Carter: 1:03:10

Right. Well, there's the humor. What I'm saying like, even in those situations, there's the healer. So telling her name. Norma, what is Norma Norma? Norma. Yeah, yeah, but everyone caught my kids called her nanny. You know, that was like, what their Her name was. So like, even when her caregiver in my movie always called her nanny. They just you know, that was like everyone called her nanny. But it's it's it's a it's the only way to do it. It's the only way to do this this journey. Otherwise, it can be it can it would kill the caregivers

Don Priess: 1:03:48

destroy you. It'll destroy you. It's one of my biggest their gift.

Annie Wood: 1:03:54

Yes, one of my biggest surprises. When my whole life My biggest fear was was really losing my mom. That was my biggest fear. And I like Me too.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:04:05

Me too. So,

Annie Wood: 1:04:08

but and here's her tell me if this if you're finding this and I'm gonna, I'm gonna guess Yes, I have a feeling the answer is yes. But I'll ask you anyway. No one ever told me this and I was really surprised by how beautiful the end could be if you're there with them. Like I just thought of all the negative and all the sadness and all the horribleness I hadn't I was it was unexpected that there would be such I don't know such beauty in it.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:04:40

You know, I 100% I had a guest on we had a guest on over I want to say like early like early last year. Trish lob who's a good friend of mine now who's in the community and went through the desert. She caregiver for her mom and father, and is almost like a death doula, right? And on on the show, she was telling me, Susie, because I said I can't even think about my mom dying. Like, it's like I can't like I'll that's the only thing that I can cry instantly on. And she said, you're going to find it to be the most beautiful experience. It's just such a gift. It's such an honor to be there you, I promise you with all my heart, that that's what it's going to be. Yeah. And I said, Well, when it's happens, I'm calling you, you're gonna have to fly out wherever you're at. But as my mom's been going through this and it's been a long road now of course, you know, with hospice is in and out, in and out. I've gone through it so many times in and it is, it is it feels like an honor to hold her hand and to be and look into her eyes. We connecting so hard, we're connecting so hard. And, and I'm going to I'm going to love her to the other side. Yeah, that's what I do. That's what I'm gonna do.

Don Priess: 1:06:00

And it's like you said in your in the movie, you know, you walked her over the bridge from into into, into all

Susie Singer Carter: 1:06:08

into dementia. I allow it. Yeah.

Don Priess: 1:06:11

And now and now this is just you're taking over and it'll take over another bridge. And, you know, and it's the best you know, for her. That's what's gonna give her comfort. It's what's gonna give you comfort? Because you're, you're doing it together, and then you'll always have her so yes, you know.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:06:28

Yeah. In the meantime, I kiss her and hug her all over the place. Yeah, I get it. I like it. I get it. I get it. Like she's become my daughter. I'd be just like, you know, I can't I just Yeah, I need to. I get my arms underneath each big bed pillow. And then I get in and I end. And she just be she beams. Yeah, I know. We're soul sisters. I can tell. Yeah, absolutely. I got right in. Right in. Anyway. Wow. But you know what?

Don Priess: 1:06:56

Wow, we've talked a lot we've we've gotten over an hour already. Amazing, too. chatty.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:07:01

Oh my god.

Don Priess: 1:07:02

So with that? Yeah, I was just to say is there anything else that you wanted to say talk about something you missed, or one final message for for us

Annie Wood: 1:07:12

know just anybody going through this just just just be there. Just be present. And, and, you know, don't miss out on on the beautiful moments. And honestly, I feel like I have never been this close to my dad. This. This is my this is the best relationship I've ever been. We never had a bad one. He was a good father. But I never felt this close to him. So there's there's some walls coming down for him. So if you're in this situation, appreciate that. You might see more of them. Even though it seems like you're seeing less of them. Just be careful. Don't jump to conclusions.

Susie Singer Carter: 1:07:50

Love it. Well said. Well said Annie. That's gorgeous. Thank you. I'm so glad we got you on the show. And it's just a you are you are just a beautiful poster child for for our caregiver. So thank you for modeling that and being there and being such a loving daughter, and brave and to show up, because it is hard to show up. And you are showing up, you know 1,000% And you are gonna have such beautiful things come back to you. You already have but as you know, yeah, it's a beautiful

Don Priess: 1:08:27

beauty to everyone else. You're providing beauty to the world. Yeah,

Susie Singer Carter: 1:08:31

because that's what, yeah, that's what our show is all about. Because, like what do we always say? And

Don Priess: 1:08:36

it all comes? Yeah, it all comes from love. And because we all know that love is powerful. Love is contagious, and Love Conquers Alz. So and thank you for joining us today. Like share, do all those fun things and

Susie Singer Carter: 1:08:49

check out all of this wonderful writing of Annie wood and we'll have almost all of her links on our show notes and we love you...