It is important that we understand and accept the capabilities of a person with Alzheimer’s. There is a theory that persons with dementia have difficulty learning new things. Family caregivers have knowledge about the person’s habits of a lifetime; they know best what their loved one can do. The following illustrates this:
Reconstructing Harry
Jean and Harry had been married for 62 years. Harry was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease 7 years ago. When Jean could no longer care for her husband at home, Harry was admitted to a nursing home. There Jean visited Harry faithfully each and every day, sometimes twice daily, assisting Harry with his meals, taking Harry for walks, sometimes just sitting together and holding hands. Most days Harry did not recognize or even respond to Jean. In fact, some days when Jean would arrive at the nursing home she would discover Harry holding hands with another female resident. You can well imagine the sense of loss and despair that Jean felt.
One day Jean had an inspiration. Harry had always been a piper. In fact, Harry was an accomplished piper and played his bagpipes in a band. Since the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, the bagpipes sat idle in the corner. Jean decided to dust off the bagpipes and bring them to the nursing home “just for fun”. So she did. On his very good days, Harry would sit in the corner of the lounge playing his bagpipes to his heart’s content, much to the amazement of the staff and other residents.
Imagine the sense of joy and meaning that Jean now felt. At this moment she had her Harry back once again.
This story illustrates the importance of recognizing the personhood of the individual with dementia. Although the disease may rob the individual of his/her ability to articulate who they are, family caregivers play a vital role in assisting professional caregivers to embrace “this sense of self”.
