It is inevitable: one of these days, I will rush into Anthony’s room, plonk a kiss on his lips, sit down next to him with a grin, put my arm around his shoulder, and he will not know who I am.
In my PhD research and subsequent book about dementia – eons ago – I talked about how, no matter how nonsensical or confusing the person with dementia’s stories were, it was still beneficial to have those conversations, to participate in what I called ‘storying’.
Fast forward to now and working in the dementia cottage has been an absolute gift. I have a job, albeit part-time, in which my role is that of “Lifestyle Assistant”.
Over the last several months, as both a volunteer and employee at the nursing home where Anthony resides, I have become more and more enriched by the relationships I’ve formed with the residents in the dementia cottage. Partly this is due to putting into practice much of what I learned and believed all those years ago when I simultaneously worked as a nurse in a nursing home and embarked on my thesis.
This job has taught me so much, not just about dementia itself and how it affects people differently, but about how vital friendship is to those who have dementia. Common sense really but it is often assumed that if the person with dementia doesn’t recognise you, you may as well not bother visiting, conversing, relating to them. But why? That person with dementia still needs your friendship even if she or he doesn’t know who you are anymore.
On entering the dementia cottage, I am mostly unrecognised as someone any of these ten women have met before (every yesterday has usually been forgotten), but I am still made to feel welcome, and warmly greeted by those who can still speak. The first thing I have begun to do, during my 3-7pm shift, is to greet each of the ten women individually, either with words, or a hug, or a joke, or the offer of a wheelchair walk.
I realised the other day that the reason I love the job so much is simply due to the fact that these women have become my friends, so much so that I have begun to miss seeing them on my days off. Since I only work six four-hour shifts per fortnight, that’s a lot of missing! I love these women (despite the fact that Anthony has often told me that I throw the word “love” around a bit too freely!)
The point is this: my ten friends with dementia may not know who I am, but I know who they are. I’ve read their histories, learned their personalities, and have now figured out which activities individual people most enjoy.
Dementia can be a cruel, debilitating disease which renders the victim helpless in so many ways. People with dementia need friendship but those of us without dementia should consider the possibility that we also need their friendship.
It is inevitable: one of these days, I will rush into Anthony’s room, plonk a kiss on his lips, sit down next to him with a grin, put my arm around his shoulder, and he will not know who I am.
But I will know who he is and, if he asks, I will simply say, “I’m your best friend.”
