November 4, 2012

Grandma remembered me, mostly. She introduced me to someone as her young cousin, then realized, “no, that isn’t right. You’re my…” “Granddaughter,” I finished for her. She smiled and chuckled. She did remember that I visited with the whole family two weeks ago. My aunt Sandy was in town and together with my mom she rounded up the rest of our family – another aunt, uncle and cousins. She enjoyed seeing everyone, and recognized them, mostly. When one of my cousins arrived late, Grandma introduced her to everyone. Grandma didn’t recognize her, and mom pointed out, “she belongs to Mark” (my uncle). She recognizes people and makes the connections when parents visit with their children or when couples come with each other. When Sandy first got into town, my stepdad Chris picked her up from the airport and brought her to visit Grandma. Chris has visited fairly often with my mother, but this time Grandma didn’t recognize him. Had my cousin come with Mark and had Chris come with Mom, she may have made the connection. It was an awkward dinner. My youngest cousin of 15 years didn’t even make eye contact with her. She was fiddling with her smart phone half the time, and during the brief moments they interacted she was looking down. The most awkward moment, with a long period of silence, came as everyone was leaving that night. Grandma said, “Thank you all for coming to say goodbye.” I was standing a few feet behind her and I wanted to put my hands on her shoulders, but I was afraid to startle her, coming from behind. Do you ever feel frozen in an awkward silence, with a stream of thoughts running through your mind but with no confidence or courage to say or do anything? My cousin in front of her simply said, “It’ll be ok, Grandma.” She’s dying slowly, with her cognitive functions diminishing.

My mom always asks her, “how are you today?” to which she replies, “Oh, the same as always I guess.” I hear she has bad days, but I haven’t seen her often enough to know what those are like. Shortly after that dinner, I went to another assisted living center with my BCMT class to work on elderly clients, including people in the reminiscence ward - people with dementia & Alzheimers. They have difficulty finding the right words. They enjoy massage, but when asked if they want one, they might respond, "no" or "I don't know." I spent at least 15 minutes with one woman at this center, who at first simply turned her head away when I asked if she would like a massage. She seemed engrossed in something happening across the room. I sat next to her, gently rubbed her shoulders, and a few minutes later noticed her hand twitching slightly, so I held it as I continued to rub her shoulders. When working with those who have trouble with language, noticing non-verbal cues is crucial. Being patient and working slowly are also important. After being with her for 10 minutes, which felt like a very long 10 minutes, she finally said that it felt good. Massage therapy improves the quality of life for those with dementia - reducing stress, depression and agitation - and all it takes is a gentle shoulder rub while being present, aware of their non-verbal cues and having patience. Touch is a basic human need. If you know someone with Alzheimers, practice your compassion and reach out a hand for them.

If you'd like to learn more about people with Alzheimer's, here are some interviews and some articles on new research:

• Emotional Interview with Alzheimer's Patient (video)
  
• Article suggesting that statin drugs, which are used to lower cholesterol, may promote Alzheimer's
  
• Rhode Island Hospital study links Alzheimer's to brain insulin resistance
  
• Interview with Alzheimer sufferer Richard Taylor
  

If you're the trendy type, you're likely making resolutions right now, seeing the new year as a new beginning. I just finished reading the book Switch: How to change things when change is hard, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath, a gift to the family from my brother. Regardless of the time of year, this book inspires change. 

From January to March last year, everything in my life changed - my family moved, a romance ended, I took a pay cut at work, forcing me to find a new job, and I was often sick. The best change of all, by my choice, was enrolling in Boulder College of Massage Therapy. My graduation speech (previous blog) may give you an idea of what I gained from that change. Last spring was a new beginning. 

Now that I've graduated, I'm facing a new beginning once again, but this time with more independence, a larger pile of debt, and a deeper knowledge of myself and good health. So I'm making resolutions along with everyone else. The Heath brothers have some excellent advice on how to make resolutions stick: 

• Point to the destination - I'm going to pay off all credit card debt by January 2015. If I say I'm going to "pay off debt" this year, I could pay off $50 of my student loans and technically accomplish that resolution. So a distinct goal is necessary. 
  
• Shrink the change - I will dance for 15 minutes today. I would love to go a 1-hour SoulSweat class at Alchemy of Movement, but it costs $14, it's on a schedule that may not fit in with mine, and 15 minutes is a lot easier to fit in to my full day. 15 minutes of dance in my living room is doable, and more beneficial than doing nothing to fulfill my need to be active & creative.
  
• Build habits - While my tea is steeping in the morning, I will clean something in the house. It's easy for me to ignore clutter and crumbs, but I prefer to live in a well-organized, clean house. Yet again, a few minutes of cleaning is a lot easier to fit in to my full day than a whole hour. I set an "action trigger" ahead of time to encourage this habit, to help prevent me from turning on the computer to check Facebook right after I pour the water for tea.

There are many other tips and inspiring stories in Switch, and you can read the first chapter on their website if you want to check it out. When following through with resolutions, it helps to share them with others. So tell me, what are you going to change this year?