After I spoke at an Alzheimer's workshop recently, an RN in an Alzheimer's care unit came up and thanked me for my presentation, especially the part about how there is still a human being inside the shell of those with this horrible disease. She said she is particularly drawn to those patients who haven't had a visitor in years or simply have no family anywhere. She takes them into her heart as family.
I found that very touching. These are the folks who are truly forgotten. And there are some families who leave their loved one at the nursing care facility and never look back. Why? Everyone has a reason.
In my presentation, I talked about the need to remember to interact with someone with Alzheimer's, even in the latest stages. Interaction can be as simple as a smile or wrapping your hand around theirs or brushing their hair. We humans were created to be engaged with each other in many ways even when we have no memories left to share.
That's another reason I so admire those who work in hospice or like the RN previously mentioned who takes a few extra moments to shine her own light upon the faces of those patients who have no one or have been forgotten, whether it's Alzheimer's or any other condition that takes an individual into their final days on this earth.
Let's remember not to forget.
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