What Dementia Patients Would Say If They Could

(from the Alzheimer's Reading Room)

• You know what makes me feel safe, secure, and happy? A smile.
• Did you ever consider this? When you get tense and uptight it makes me feel tense and uptight.
• Instead of getting all bent out of shape when I do something that seems perfectly normal to me, and perfectly nutty to you, why not just smile at me? It will take the edge off the situation all the way around.
• Please try to understand and remember it is my short term memory, my right now memory, that is gone -- don't talk so fast, or use so many words.
• You know what I am going to say if you go off into long winded explanations on why we should do something? I am going to say 'No', because I can never be certain if you are asking me to do something I like, or drink a bottle of castor oil. So I'll just say 'No' to be safe.
• Slow down. And don't sneak up on me and start talking. Did I tell you I like smiles?
• Make sure you have my attention before you start blabbering away. What is going to happen if you start blabbering away and you don't have my attention, or confuse me? I am going to say No - count on it.
• My attention span and ability to pay attention are not as good as they once were, please make eye contact with me before you start talking. A nice smile always gets my attention. Did I mention that before?
• Sometimes you talk to me like I am a child or an idiot. How would you like it if I did that to you? Go to your room and think about this. Don't come back and tell me you are sorry, I won't know what you are talking about. Just stop doing it and we will get along very well, and probably better than you think.
• You talk too much -- instead try taking my hand and leading the way. I need a guide not a person to nag me all the time.

A Nugget from Live Life Happy

 Once a group of 50 people was attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now these delegates were let in that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of five minutes no one could find their own balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker began- exactly this is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

 Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness.

 And this is the purpose of human life.