Being a psychologist can be extremely draining, but also very rewarding. I have learned so much from the clients I have worked with in the past. I worked with mentally ill adults for a couple of years teaching them independent living skills with the hope that one day they would be, well, independent. Although about 90% will never leave their group home because of the severity of their mental illness, working towards the goals was fun and challenging for both client and I. The more “normal” I treated them, the more “normal” they acted. And the more TLC and patience I demonstrated…the fewer behavior problems they demonstrated. Seems like such a simple remedy. I learned a lot from them and I miss them all …I think I’ll stop by the Day Program to say “hi”….
My Music Therapy practicum this semester involves running treatment groups for Alzheimer and Dementia patients. I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive although confident that I had seen a bit of everything working with the mentally ill. Now I am loving the experience as well as the treatment population. The music groups I run exercise memory and other cognitive functions as well as physical, social, and emotional avenues. The clients really like" Name that Tune"…it’s strange how one can remember the melody from a song they learned 70 years ago, but can’t remember their child’s name…or…that they put their reading glasses in their sock…which brings me to the point of this entry…
So, there is this sweet lady in the Alzheimer’s/ Dementia unit that is seemingly quite “normal”. She is full of energy, is always smiling, loves to read…yada,yada,yada. Well Ms. Pink ( 'cause that’s what she was wearing on this particular day) was walking around as if she were looking for something. My practicum supervisor(Ms.R) asks, “Ms. Pink, are you looking for something?” Ms. Pink, smiling says,” Why yes, actually I’m looking for my glasses…I don’t know where I put them, but you know I like to read.” Then, Ms. Pink begins to look around, and then leans in close to Ms. R and me as if she has a secret to tell and says “Can I tell you a little secret? Well, I use to keep my glasses in my bra…you know…for a little lift (as she pretend cups her breasts and pretend lifts them up and down).” LOL! What a jokester! She starts to laugh and scurries off…
…. 30 minutes later…. Ms. Pink (' cause that’s what she was wearing on this particular day) was walking around as if she were looking for something. My practicum supervisor (Ms.R) asks, “Ms. Pink, are you looking for something?” Ms. Pink, smiling says,” Why yes, actually I’m looking for my glasses…I don’t know where I put them, but you know I like to read.” Then, Ms. Pink begins to look around, and then leans in close to Ms. R and me as if she has a secret to tell and says “Can I tell you a little secret? Well, I use to keep my glasses in my bra…you know…for a little lift (as she pretend cups her breasts and pretend lifts them up and down).”
…that’s right folks…she did and said the exact same thing 30 mins later...and another 30 mins after that she found her glasses in her sock where she put them. She so gracefully cracked a joke saying that she put them there so she wouldn’t lose them! LOL
That’s what Alzheimer’s is like sometimes… copy and paste…except the information is pasted in random places at random times and some parts are accidentally deleted.
Cherish the memories you’ve made, and continue to make memories that you can forever cherish
