It’s not that I have dementia (a word derived from the idea of “demons of the mind”) or memory loss per se, my uncle used to say. It’s that my mind is too full, and some of it just has to go to make room for more! He was always able to keep his sense of humor about memory loss, despite the serious ramifications for an elderly person and those who care. But, there are some tools out there to help us when an elderly relative or friend cannot function comfortably on their own.
One of our seniors, a former physicist, is unable to remember so many things, for example coherent facts about his career. Yet, when our volunteer, a former Broadway singer, arrives on Wednesdays, it seems the senior remembers all the words to “A Tisket, A Tasket, I Lost My Yellow Basket” as sung by Ella Fitzgerald, one of his favorite vocalists. They make music together, laugh and even shed a tear now and then. Basically, they are both enjoying a shared love of song, and hence each other. Mike, the volunteer, is a special fellow. He doesn’t mind at all if the senior doesn’t remember him from week to week. He’s there for the good time, and he gets it!
In Morningside Village, four of the seniors we serve have memory issues. The medical term for fading memory is “dementia” of course. And, because we want to know more about this condition, which is a major component of Alzheimers disease for one, LiLY is involved in creating a “Fading Memory” Panel Discussion for October 10, 2012. It will be held in the Morningside Heights community of Manhattan. Save the date, and we’ll let you know more.
Irene Zola
