She
was signing herself in for a chiropractor's visit, and Sissy and I were
with her. We all three see Dr. Benjamin at eight in the morning every
Tuesday and Thursday. We spend the morning making Momma laugh with our
silliness while we wait. However, the signing in procedure that morning
was no laughing matter.While
standing at the sign-in sheet, Sissy said "Momma sign us all three
in”. Momma signed herself in and started signing our names. She wrote
"Sissy", and then paused. She whispered to me as I stood beside her,
"Carol, I can't remember her last name." She was disturbed by this lapse
in her memory. Sissy and I both felt sick.
Folks,
if you have been reading my blogs, or read my book, or heard me present
to groups, you would probably agree I have a fairly good handle on
dementia, Alzheimer's and caregiving. However, on this particular
morning, my knowledge, education and understanding of dementia did not
keep me from being so very sad.
I realized Momma had forgotten the last names of her children. This was not news that was easy to take, but at least I understood the "why" of the situation. Nonetheless, Sissy and I both felt really sad that morning.
"That's OK, Momma. Just sign us in as Larry, Moe, and Curly," I said. I could have made a big deal of her memory loss, but that wouldn't have changed or helped the situation in any way. Laughing off the issue, and going on with the day as if nothing had happened, proved to be a good way to handle the sadness we all three felt.
Life is full of challenges no matter what disabilities, illnesses, or challenges we face. It has been proven repeatedly that laughter is truly good medicine. When someone has dementia, laughter is essential. Momma is a happier person when we are silly. Honestly, there are times it makes us tired to be so very UP all the time, but having dementia is making HER tired, also. We will continue to do our part to make her life happy. You see, her smile brings tons of joy to our day.
I realized Momma had forgotten the last names of her children. This was not news that was easy to take, but at least I understood the "why" of the situation. Nonetheless, Sissy and I both felt really sad that morning.
"That's OK, Momma. Just sign us in as Larry, Moe, and Curly," I said. I could have made a big deal of her memory loss, but that wouldn't have changed or helped the situation in any way. Laughing off the issue, and going on with the day as if nothing had happened, proved to be a good way to handle the sadness we all three felt.
Life is full of challenges no matter what disabilities, illnesses, or challenges we face. It has been proven repeatedly that laughter is truly good medicine. When someone has dementia, laughter is essential. Momma is a happier person when we are silly. Honestly, there are times it makes us tired to be so very UP all the time, but having dementia is making HER tired, also. We will continue to do our part to make her life happy. You see, her smile brings tons of joy to our day.
Hope that gives you Something To Ponder.
Sometimes, You've Just Got To Laugh
No comments:
Post a Comment