Everyday I get a chance to work with some of my favorite people…people living with Alzheimer’s Disease. They are so un-inhibited and in a world of people that are usually pretty inhibited, its refreshing to be around them.
Today as I was doing some paperwork, a lady about 20 feet from me was very agitated and kept hollering, “come on gang, let’s go.” She was repeating this about every 5 seconds…agitating many of the other residents around her. She has a reputation for being rather mean and this was one of those days that if you approached her, you would probably get punched…or bitten. I had this thought that maybe if I gave her something to do, she would calm down. So I gently approached her and asked her (in my sweetest, smiliest voice) if she could help me with something. Instantly, her mind switched patterns. It was amazing to see. It was like she had been stuck. She sweetly smiled at me and said, “I’d love to…but I can’t. I’m from Baton Rouge.”
So, a little against her will, I wheeled her up to my desk. I grabbed a handful of straws from nearby and asked her (in my desperate voice) if she could please count them for me. She grinned and said, “Sure!”
“33 straws!” she exclaimed a few minutes later. She proceeded to sort mail for me then she organized ‘Now-n-Laters’ by color. She was so proud. I wish you could have seen her smiling.
Normally in this type of situation, the doctor would be called and the resident would be given some medicine to help them calm down. Cool to see that maybe all they need sometimes is a little help getting their mind going in a different direction. She needed someone to change her focus. Kind of like my daughter. Kind of like me.
As I walked away about 30 minutes later she was still grinning…and falling asleep off and on in her chair. No signs of the previous agitation.
