When my father was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease some 25 years ago, a doctor sat us down and explained to us the difference between long-term and short-term memory loss. This is how he put it, “You need to think of your brain as a road map. All the childhood memories you have, you’ve visited thousands and thousands of times. You have built highways and freeways to those memories. But what happened two minutes ago, you don’t even have a path through the woods built for those memories, and the brush and branches spring right back, devouring the newly made path so you can’t find the same way back.”
Think of these paths and trails as the highway system of your brain. With childhood memories, you’re cruising down a two-lane highway. But when you’re trying to think of someone you just met or what just happened two minutes ago, the road you’re stumbling upon hasn’t even been surveyed and cleared yet.
Now, this had my father speaking directly to his physician, saying, “so what you’re telling me is I will be lost in the woods forever?”
“No, you’ll have many moments of clarity during the early part of the disease. But as you progress into the middle stage, these moments will find you less and less.”
I must tell you that when my dad would realize all of a sudden he was not where he thought he was or you were not who he thought you were, the devastation that would spread across his face was heartbreaking. It was one of the saddest parts of watching him deteriorate.
The best thing I found to do was to change the subject gently. Learn how to redirect. I would attempt to move his mind onto something else by quickly changing the conversation. One of the best techniques for caregivers to use is redirection through taste. The power of a bowl of ice cream might absolutely amaze you.
Marvelously, his penetrating sadness would usually vaporize as fast as it found him.
Go with the flow. Pay attention to what your beloved patients seem to prefer. It’s vital for them to have a smooth start every morning, which could determine their level of confusion for the rest of the day or days to come. Once again, the “simple routine mindset” can start with the simplicity of a closet and wardrobe.
Gary Joseph LeBlanc, CDCS
DSF Education Director & Author
