Moments of Clarity

If you have participated in my presentations/courses you know that I am most often the last to give up hope. I am the one who says over and over again that we need to look for the moments of lucidity, and take full advantage of the times when our patients and loved ones with dementia are a resemblance of their former self. So today I saw it, again, firsthand. A woman who I’d basically written off, told her family she was not going to regain any of her thinking skills, and told all of the staff that the compensation system we had in place was all we could do, proved me wrong.

I saw her spark come back a couple of weeks ago, and to my dismay that light remains consistent even now. A few months ago, when I first met her, she told me that if I just gave her time she would feel better and recover. I persisted with therapy then, and I failed. She was correct. Now, it seems like she has shed about 10 years. Today we had a wonderful conversation. She laughed, smiled, and discussed her life with a precision and simplicity that made me know this was improvement. She also gave me some insight that was very valuable. Listen to your patients. Sometimes even when they seem off base and confused if we can listen to what they are truly saying, and realize that our goals and our time frame is not always what best suits them.

By leaving my preconceived notions behind and remembering that we all know ourselves better than any medical professional could, I am able to see the value in reading beyond the uncertainty of dementia. We have a responsibility to help our people live their best lives for as long as possible. How can we possibly begin to do that if we don’t use what they know to our advantage? Use their moments of clarity, find some resolution for yourself, and consider what we are here for. Reflect on our purpose of helping the elderly exist in a way that makes keeps life normal.