Imagine You Have Dementia
Visualize yourself waking up this morning, confused, disoriented and struggling to process your surroundings. Imagine walking out of your bedroom and a family members appears and immediately questions why you are not dressed for the doctors appointment later that morning. You may not recognize your family member at first, but without hesitation you deny needing or knowing about the appointment and you are immediately “reminded’” of being told last evening and thus, the interaction becomes intense.
You have no memory of the conversation, but because emotions can remain intact, even in late stage dementia, imagine the shame and embarrassment you feel for forgetting the appointment. Because of the changes in the cells in the brain the person’s ability to communicate and access executive functioning skills have declined, making it difficult to remember, plan, and managing everyday tasks. Your mind’s internal filing system struggles to operate smoothly.
The disorganized filing drawer pictured above is a metaphor to represent how dementia distorts thinking, memory, and the ability to recall events and dates accurately. On the bottom of the stack of files holds long-term memories and can be recalled longer because these memories have been stored in the brain for 50 or 60 year. The top file is empty, representing short term memory loss and the inability to store new memories. In between, the folders store our life experiences, but because of dementia, the internal files become scrambled resulting in confusing and the inability to organize thoughts. For example, if your family member is sharing a story, facts of the story are in disarray and will not be recalled accurately.
Memories are the foundation of our personal history that shapes our perceptions of the worlds. However, dementia is not just about memory. Dementia heavily impacts cognition, reasoning skills, mood, communication, and impaired judgement. The internal files become disorganized due to time shifting, and the person fills in the blanks of a lost memory. Late-day confusion occurs as the body’s internal clock becomes disrupted.
Becoming more aware and understanding the altered reality your family member now lives, can create a more compassionate approach of support by prioritizing the person over the dementia.
If you would like more information about our Memory Ministry, our Memory Cafe or Family and Friends Workshops, please contact Vicky at vpitner@firstumc.org.