Alzheimer's Assist Stories As Well As Memory
When nosotros began creating curt stories for people living alongside dementia to read aloud, nosotros were surprised past times the journeying that this uncomplicated practise created.
When nosotros assist people who are living alongside dementia convey their stories dorsum to life, nosotros give them the chance to live generative again.
These stories bolster our belief that people who are living alongside dementia receive got thus much to learn us, thus much to portion alongside us of wisdom too joy too heartache too fortitude.
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As people began reading our prepared stories, they started telling us stories from their ain lives. These personal stories truly grabbed us too nosotros began writing them down. It is oft said that everyone has at to the lowest degree ane proficient even out inwards them too nosotros receive got flora this to live true.
We are non talking hither close autobiography nor or nosotros discussing life histories, but rather nosotros are talking close incidents, fleeting moments from a person’s life that they portion alongside us.
For example, at that spot was Virginia’s even out close how she met her husband. He was the blood brother of a daughter that Virginia worked alongside inwards a manufacturing flora during WWII.
He was inwards the Navy too was dwelling trace of piece of employment solid on acquire out when Virginia went to her friend’s trace of piece of employment solid for dinner. Virginia told us, “We took ane await at each other too it was ‘bif, bam boom!’”
They were married earlier his acquire out was over too he had to become dorsum to the Navy too to the war. He survived the nation of war too they were married until his death, unopen to 40 years later. This was only a brief minute inwards Virginia’s long life, but of course, a seminal ane for her too for her husband.
We asked Virginia if she would similar to cinema her even out close how she met her husband. She agreed too nosotros made a really curt cinema of Virginia telling us this story. Then, every bit nosotros ever do, nosotros showed Virginia her movie.
At first, nosotros were alarmed because when Virginia saw herself on the goggle box screen, she asked us,
“Who is that one-time woman? How does she know all that materials close my life?” Virginia began to grow agitated too nosotros idea that possibly this was a mistake. But then, every bit she began to brain to the one-time adult woman talking on the TV, Virginia became engrossed inwards the story.
She began to concord alongside the one-time woman, too milk tremble her caput yes, that was right. She laughed out loud when the one-time adult woman on the TV said that it was ‘bif, bam boom,’ when Virginia met her husband.
She clapped heartily when the cinema ended too was really much awake when she went to luncheon that day.
We were non certain if Virginia understood that the one-time adult woman talking on TV was truly her, but too then nosotros overheard her talking to her luncheon companions too saying,
“You are non going to believe this, but I was on TV today. I had my ain present on TV!”When nosotros realized that unopen to people who receive got dementia tin flame all the same tell stories from their lives, nosotros began documenting these stories inwards impress too on film. We learned that it was really of import to commencement give people something to grip inwards their hands inwards social club to prime number the pump of memory.
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For Virginia, nosotros were to live visiting her aid dwelling trace of piece of employment solid on Veteran’s Day too nosotros only happened to give her a petty flag that had the Navy insignia on it. She recognized the flag too that was the prompt that sparked the retention of how she met her husband. Now, nosotros deliberately convey inwards meaningful objects or photographs from people’s lives to assist give them unopen to context for sharing stories from their lives.
Finally, at that spot was the honey even out that was told to us past times a highly regarded scientist. He had taught inwards a major academy too conducted of import inquiry that had an touching on world-wide crop development. Knowing his life work, nosotros brought inwards modest galvanized buckets of dissimilar types of grains for him to seat his hands into, to experience the grain again, to prime number his retention of the years that he researched too worked alongside arable crops.
As oft happens to us inwards this work, Philip completely surprised us past times his answer to this grain exercise. He happily plunged his hands into the buckets, letting the showers of grain slide through his fingers. His eyes took on a dreamy await every bit the grain barbarous from his fingers dorsum into the bucket. Then, to our amazement, Philip, the scientist, began to tell us close his ane non bad love, the daughter who got away, the argue he never married.
Philip met her when he was working for the regime inwards Washington D.C. When he began to depict Sherry, his whole physical beingness changed. His facial expression upward turned vivid pink, his eyes brightened.
He never told us why they did non brand a jibe of it, he entirely told us of his non bad honey for Sherry too of her personal loveliness.
We idea that past times bringing inwards buckets of grain, Philip would tell us a even out close his locomote inwards agricultural research, but instead nosotros learned of his non bad love, Sherry. He said her advert over too over again, alongside a dreamy smiling on his face. It was a wonderful experience to run into this non bad human being of scientific discipline verbalise close his ane too entirely love, Sherry, the daughter who got away.
There receive got been books too articles written close “the storied memory.” Stories are how nosotros frame the scenes from our lives; it is how nosotros recall our lives.
People living alongside dementia evidently cannot recall their lives chapter too verse; they may live confused every bit to what era they are soon living in, or they may non recall events inwards the right sequence, but at that spot are scenes, moments from their lives that tin flame live brought dorsum to life.
We know that the people telling us these amazing stories may non recall us for long, nor recall the stories they receive got told us; but nosotros volition never forget them or their stories.
These stories bolster our belief that people who are living alongside dementia receive got thus much to learn us, thus much to portion alongside us of wisdom too joy too heartache too fortitude.
When nosotros assist people who are living alongside dementia convey their stories dorsum to life, nosotros give them the chance to live generative again, to give these stories from their lives dorsum to their immediate communities, to their families too to the larger world.
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-- Tom too Karen Brenner, Montessori Gerontologists