People With Alzheimer’s May Be Silent Yet Very Alert

It was proof that she was still “there” – still aware of her surroundings even though she rarely acknowledged it.By +Marie Marley+Alzheimer's Reading Room There was a lady with Alzheimer’s I volunteered to visit once a week at a local memory care facility. I’m going to call her Carolyn.Before my first visit the administration told me she loved Elvis. So I bought an Elvis CD and took it, along with my portable CD player, to the visit.After introducing myself I said, “Carolyn, I understand you love Elvis.”“Elvis?” she asked with disgust evident in her tone of voice. “Where’d they get that?” Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading RoomEmail: “Well, what kind of music do you like?” I asked her.She tried very hard to pronounce Tchaikovsky. She never did get it right but I understood what she meant. So the next time I took Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and played several selections for her.She was ecstatic.She smiled and tapped out the rhythms on her lap using both hands. She clapped enthusiastically at the end of each piece. It was a true joy to see her so happy.Then Carolyn declined significantly.She was receiving hospice care and was always in bed when I arrived. Her eyes were usually closed, even though she was sometimes awake. I talked to her but she never said anything back.Nonetheless I kept playing the Nutcracker Suite for her every time. She showed no reaction whatsoever. I was frustrated but kept it up anyway.Then one day I asked, “Do ...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Dementia Authors: Source Type: blogs