Sometimes you have to Look Beyond the Obvious to get to the moral of the story...
By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room
I'm sitting here reading some stories about Alzheimer's disease patients.
One 90 year old Alzheimer's patients that lives near Atlanta, Georgia goes missing for 24 hours. They find her hundreds of miles away in south Georgia. Safe and sound, she drove a couple of hundred miles, lost all the time. How did she do it?
In another article, I am reading about a women with Alzheimer's that likes to tell long stories in great detail. Fascinating stories with all the details. Vivid stories. How does she do it? She can't remember a minute late that she told the story, and she might tell it again, right there and right then.
Well, I know the answers to my own questions. How do they do it?
But, that is not the answer that is important.
The answer that is important is that the typical Alzheimer's patient can do more than we can image. The we in this story is you and me.
So far it has not stopped happening. It happens more than I can count. Dotty continues to do things that most of us would consider to be impossible given her stage of Alzheimer's. The us in this story is you and me.
I noticed very early on that there was "more there" with Dotty than I was imagining. Then, Dotty forgot how to buy lottery tickets and I went into a tailspin.
Doc Chiriboga told me to let her do everything she could do. He told me not to let anyone deter me.
I listened.
No doubt in my mind that if an Alzheimer's patient can drive for hundreds of miles. Lost the entire time. Having no clue where they are. Lost. Get home safe. No accident. There must be "more there"
I must conclude that there is "more there" than we imagine. The we being you and me.
Sometimes you have to Look Beyond the Obvious to get to the moral of the story.
Try it.
Lessons to be learned.
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers
Alzheimer's Reading Room
One 90 year old Alzheimer's patients that lives near Atlanta, Georgia goes missing for 24 hours. They find her hundreds of miles away in south Georgia. Safe and sound, she drove a couple of hundred miles, lost all the time. How did she do it?
In another article, I am reading about a women with Alzheimer's that likes to tell long stories in great detail. Fascinating stories with all the details. Vivid stories. How does she do it? She can't remember a minute late that she told the story, and she might tell it again, right there and right then.
Well, I know the answers to my own questions. How do they do it?
But, that is not the answer that is important.
The answer that is important is that the typical Alzheimer's patient can do more than we can image. The we in this story is you and me.
So far it has not stopped happening. It happens more than I can count. Dotty continues to do things that most of us would consider to be impossible given her stage of Alzheimer's. The us in this story is you and me.
I noticed very early on that there was "more there" with Dotty than I was imagining. Then, Dotty forgot how to buy lottery tickets and I went into a tailspin.
Doc Chiriboga told me to let her do everything she could do. He told me not to let anyone deter me.
I listened.
No doubt in my mind that if an Alzheimer's patient can drive for hundreds of miles. Lost the entire time. Having no clue where they are. Lost. Get home safe. No accident. There must be "more there"
I must conclude that there is "more there" than we imagine. The we being you and me.
Sometimes you have to Look Beyond the Obvious to get to the moral of the story.
Try it.
Lessons to be learned.
More Insight and Advice for Caregivers