Dementia is a very heartbreaking illness. It takes over a body and leaves the person who once was behind. The person slowly begins to lose function of how they once lived. It will get to the point where they cannot talk, walk, or do anything for themselves. Being a nurses aide, I have had my share of experiences with residents who have this terrible illness. I cannot get into specifics but it is a very sad thing to witness.
As I sit beside a woman who with dementia I can't help but wonder what she was like before she developed this. I look into her eyes as she talks about things that quite frankly do not make sense. I wonder what kind of person she was before this took over. What kind of friend was she? Or sister? Daughter, mother, wife? What did she enjoy doing? I then begin to think about how one day this could be me. I wouldn't want someone to look at me in annoyance because maybe I wonder into the wrong place from time to time. Or sometimes I can get a little mean but I don't know any better. I would still want to be treated with dignity. Dementia does not take the person completely away. You still have those memories of the person before they got the illness. I like to think that it does not completely take away someone.
Even as you look at a person in the final stages, I still think that they are still in there. It gets harder for family and friends as the disease progresses. The person will no longer know who you are. They might call you a different name. They might say they do not know you at all. Dementia can make people sad, angry, and even violent for no reason. In a way I think dementia takes a harder toll on those who knew the person. Honestly, the person who has dementia does not even realize what is actually happening. The loved ones can see the process happening. Soon it will a matter of, "was it a good or bad day today?" Did the symptoms worsen or stay the same? Did they have any incidents? Dementia really needs to be something that is brought up more. Especially to the younger generation.
I can remember as a young girl being approached by a man who said I was Annie. He was with his grandson and he kept saying, "look there's Annie, go say hello." The grandson looks puzzled and does not understand what is going on. I also was very confused and uncomfortable. I thought that man to be strange and I did not understand that he was probably going through this process. The younger generation needs to learn more about this so they will not have any fear. Maybe they can even work harder at discovering a treatment or even cute for this heartbreaking illness.
