Sunday, January 15, 2012

Beautiful Oblivion

I have several residents with dementia who believe that they are much better off than most of the other people living here. We call this being "pleasantly confused". I love these residents. I was walking by the living room when I saw one of the pleasantly confused gentlemen sitting by a lady in a reclined wheelchair; she appeared anxious and was repeating herself over and over again. He was holding her hand, whispering to her, and telling her that she was going to be okay. I put my hand on his shoulder and thanked him for being so kind to this lady. He gave me an understanding look and said, "I remember the days with my mother. I took care of her too."

When I first got into long term care, I worked mainly with residents in a memory care unit. I remember taking a few ladies to a concert at the theater where many residents from the healthcare center, assisted living, and independent living were in attendance. As we were waiting to leave our row once the concert was over, a lady from independent living passed by us with a walker. I'm not sure what her condition was, but she was extremely hunched over and her features seemed to have shrunken in a bit. One of my ladies, whose dementia was so severe that she couldn't remember where her room was, quietly whispered to herself, "That poor, poor woman. How lucky am I, how lucky am I."

Hence the name of this post.


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Sentimental Journey

Let me start off by saying...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I have high hopes for this year. Well, for this year and all the years to come. Last year ended in a tragedy that left me feeling a bit broken, followed closely by a Christmas that left me feeling put back together. It is amazing what time at home with my family can do for me. During our music therapy group, the residents sang the well-known classic, "Sentimental Journey"... I've heard it played plenty times before, but the lyrics resonated with me this particular time.

Gonna take a sentimental journey,
Gonna set my heart at ease.
Gonna make a sentimental journey,
To renew old memories.

Set my heart at ease. I love that. And that's just what being home did for me. I don't have a long list of New Year's resolutions this year. Like everyone else, I have made promises to myself.... shed some pounds, save more money, keep my car clean (never gonna happen). But my #1 resolution is simply to live a full life and love people better. Friends, family, boyfriend, residents, acquaintances, even strangers. I have continued to receive e-mails and messages from people in response to my tribute post to Mrs. Buckalew. Each one brings me to tears, but I am also encouraged because they all share a common theme: they each want to carry on the legacy of the Buckalew family. To live more intentionally, to seek a full life, to love one another better. Deirdre sent me a thoughtful e-mail with a link to the article about their funeral, and she made note of a powerful statement made by the Reverend: "Life can end suddenly. So here is the lesson: Love now… Make love an active verb in the present tense of our living. Love is stronger than even death." Amen to that.

I am not sure what will become of this blog in 2012, but I do believe that writing is my best medicine at this point. Screw laughter. Just kidding. I hope that my posts, however ridiculous they may be, provide you with encouragement, new ideas, comfort, laughter, or just an easy read when you get bored looking at your Facebook newsfeed.

Here's a little preview of what's to come...

"Help! I need healthy and satisfying meals because I and can't stop dreaming about bread and cheese" Recipes


(never claimed photography as a hobby)

Craft Projects (sometimes edible)

Celebrations

Adventure

And a whole lot of this chunky monkey

Cheers!