Caregiver's Contest Entries
I wanted to present you with the results of my Caregiver's Contest. I only had 5 entries, but the information presented is excellent and I appreciate all who entered. I wish I could have given prizes to all!!
*The Winning Entry:
Hello, I don't know if my entry will qualify because I've not had a family member with Alzheimer's. I did, however, work in a nursing home in Decaturville, TN, where I had lots of Alzheimer's patients to love.
My story is about a little lady who I'll call Agatha. Agatha was admitted to the nursing home by her family. They took good care of her, checking on her regularly and cultivating an open relationship with the staff.
I took a shine to Agatha when I first saw her. She was a star that had fallen from the heavens. I watched her go through changes due to her disease and I learned a lot about her because she was always very verbally expressive. Her meds were changed several times due to her changing mentation. That brought on new periods of adjustment for both her and the staff.
I worked with her for a couple of years. She became like a grandmother to me. I loved her smile and she knew every verse to every old hymn, it seemed, but she couldn't quite remember my name. She just knew that I belonged there and I felt a great pride in that. Maybe I was making her days a bit better and I know she made me smile.
To keep her involved in daily activities, the activities department had lots of church services and sing-a-longs. I would spend time with her, one on one, while taking care of her personal hygiene and dressing orders. I would chat with her extensively about "the family." I felt as if I had known her all my life. I would take her pictures off the wall or out of her nightstand and we'd chat about her husband and the boys and the grandchildren. I would keep track of her regression into her childhood by asking, every so often, how old she was. The last time I chatted with her at any length, she was 27.
Agatha used to sew at home, until she got so confused. I knew that she liked pretty dresses. I bought some pretty fabric from the fabric shop and made her some new dresses. This brought on tales of her aunt who used to make her dresses when she was little. I knew I had made an impression on her mind because she knew how many dresses "her aunt had made for her" and she knew the colours of them. Interesting, huh?
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