Big Smile

 I was a little afraid to go see our shelley yesterday.

I'd been ill with a pesky virus and hadn't seen her in about two weeks. Would she remember me? How would I feel if she didn't?

She was asleep in a recliner when I walked into the room.  I gently touched her, and she gave me a huge smile. Her eyes grew wide, and she said, "I've missed you, where have you been?"

Isn't that wonderful?  

It made me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because she remembered me, and sad because I had to be away so long.

Our loved ones need us there as often as we can be there.

I see a lot of the residents who seldom have visitors. People work, and it's difficult to come often.  For most of these folks, it is sad. They want to see and check on loved ones.

Of course, there are other relatives and friends who don't want to see their beloved in a facility. These folks will not put on their big boy pants and do what's right.

They say, "I don't have time." Or, "I don't want to see her that way."  I've heard this: "I want to remember her the way she was."

Fine and dandy. But what about the person who suffers with dementia. It is a strange disease, and there are more memories in the brain than they can vocalize.  I'm convinced that many of them remember friends and family even though they don't know the names. 

Shelley gets confused, but she has the right concept when she calls me daddy instead of mom.

As hard as it is to see your loved one in this condition, do it!

They need it, and so do you.