When I heard these words for the first time, they made me think hmmm.... what a beautiful way to describe life.

...."Although we cannot bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind".....- William Wordsworth, Intimations of Immortality.
If you ever get a chance to read the entire poem by William Wordsworth, it will give you some insight on how as you get older you reflect on memorys of when you were young. Often these memorys can become bittersweet. I used to return to these words for comfort whenever I felt the need to remember that our existence in this world should never be taken for granted. A lesson often overlooked by people in the world today. I know this because at the age of only fifty-six my father started to show the beginning signs of what would ultimately be diagnosed as Alzheimers Disease. I decided that for my multigenre research project, I would like to share what I have learned and experienced about the disease dementia and what kind of affect it has on families and caregivers.

My story begins by introducing to you my father Charles Brooks Watkins. He just had his 61st birthday on July 11, 2002. He was born in Oakhill, West Virginia and graduated with a masters degree from W.V.U. in education. He has spent his career in the educational system in West Virginia as a english teacher and then a Vice Principal at a high school. He is a loving husband, father of three daughters and a grandfather.
It was about six years ago when his trouble began to take shape. He noticed he was having a hard time telling a story because he couldn't remember the name of people, places or things. It would take him a long time to tell a short story. He then began to try to compensate by asking people to help him to fill in the blanks that he couldn't remember. An example of how he would talk would be like this " oh you remember that thing, you know the thing that you used the thing with." He always needed the other person to complete what parts of the story he couldn't remember. It became increasingly difficult for him to socialize. He finally decided to see a doctor. For the first year, doctors couldn't figure out why his brain seem to be just deteriorating on the left side. As a result, as the years have gone by he has gone from a man who loved the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh steelers;a man who took great pride in attending hometown high school football and basketball games or beating anyone on the golf course, to a more somber person without the memory to enjoy any of those things he used to love.
Like many forms of dementia, Alzheimers disease diminishes a person's cognitive abilities, memory and sometimes their speech. For five years, my family cared for my father at my parents house taking turns feeding, bathing and trying to help maintain some quality of life for him. That lasted until January 1, 2002. On this day we decided the best thing for him and us was to allow him to live in a nursing home.
I did my research on the topic of educating caregivers on aphasia and dementia. I wanted to answer the question, how does aphasia coupled by dementia affect the quality of communication and success of caregiving responsibilities between patients and their caregivers? Since I had experienced this situation myself with my father, I wanted to show other people the need for education for caregivers and how frustrating dementia can be for caregivers, families and patients alike.
I wanted to give them the best knowledge on how to compensate for the lack of ability this disease causes in the communication relationship between them and their loved one. So after developing that idea, I thought I should first talk about what is aphasia and what is dementia? How does aphasia affect adult communication in patients suffering from dementia? What type of communication compensations can be taught to caregivers and patients with aphasia and dementia to make caregiving more positive and successful?
I also wanted to know what part can Speech Therapists play in coordinating quality care plans for adults suffering from aphasia and dementia and their caregivers? I wanted to include this information since I hope to one day work with these patients as a Speech Language Pathologist.
People are living longer these days and eventually many people will have to make a decision of how they are going to care for their loved one be it at home or pay for them to live in a nursing facility. Although the sacrifice for caring for them at home can be tremendous, there is information to provide to caregivers. This information can build within these caregivers the strength and durability to withstand the obstacles of taking care of a person with dementia.

August

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This is a newsletter created by Christy Watkins, SLP. (Due to the way the newsletter was created in a word document and posted to the weblog, you may be asked to save changes when connecting to a link within the newsletter. Just request to save the changes and you will be connected to the link from there.)

The following interview became a part of a multigenre research project for a communication disorders class at Marshall University. The interview is the voice of a female spouse caregiver to her husband.
From a social constructionist perspective, the focus on preserving the personhood of the partner with dementia promotes more holistic, person-centered care. On the basis of several interviews with caregivers, four strategies were recognized. The caregiver must maintain continuity, sustain existing competencies, protect the partner from incompetence and strategize public encounters.
The cognitive changes that occur during the stages of dementia cause discontinuity between past, present, and future, and the individual is perceived as increasingly incapable of rational, intentional behavior and thought. In the absence of memory, an individual cannot maintain any sense of history or continuity, and this connection between past and present is essential for the maintenance of a sense of self. The patient with dementia is often no longer able to read, write or speak so a communication breakdown is inevitable. It is recommended while caring for an individual with dementia to try to preserve the personhood of the person with the disease. Often a caregiver has to speak for the patient. The words preserving the personhood is associated with self-esteem and the place of an individual in a social group. These are highlights from one of the interviews conducted.
I= Interviewer
S= Spouse

I=Describe the feelings associated with the experience of caring for a memory-impaired partner?
S=I feel it is an extension of my marital relationship. In our wedding vows we said in sickness and in health. I feel obligated to take care of this person. He's a person that I live with and I share a bed with. So I think maybe in my case there's a difference in the caregiving. I am taking care of a person I feel I have to, because he's my husband and it was a commitment I made. So I'm bound by that commitment. I feel in the era I grew up in, you got married and you stayed married, good, bad, thick or thin.

I=Does caring for a spouse with dementia change the way you feel about the person?
S=You dont change the way you think about the person because you remember they're entering a different phase. This disease has phases and everyone with the disease can go through phases differently. I usually tell myself, I must rethink of how I'm going to cope with this phase, because they are worse. I have to remember my husband is still my husband, it is the disease that makes him appear different.

I=Do you still feel you recognize the previous identity of your husband even though his actions are different today?
S=Well compared to the life we had before, which was very active and always included dancing, things are definitely different. My husband is no longer interested in socializing. If he is out of familiar surroundings he becomes extremely confused. I have to help him with everyday tasks like bathing and eating. He can't remember how to complete a task. He won't even answer the telephone anymore because he can't understand what the person on the other end is saying. I miss the way things used to be. He was an excellent dancer. And the first five years of our marriage we danced every week. We have two lovely kids and...He took care of the kids, now it's extremely difficult.

I=Sometimes its hard for spouses to realize the impact the disease can have on a persons ability to do things they always did on a regular basis like reading and writing. Do you find his current behaviors to be understandable?
S=He's never admitted there was something wrong up until about two years ago. He finally agreed that, yeah he's got something wrong. I guess maybe he had to go through a grieving process also. He won’t read any material on Alzheimers. He thinks if he ignores it, it will go away. I just knew there was something wrong because my husband was always a loving, caring patient and generous. After a while I realized it wasn't my husband, it was the disease. It took a while for me to realize that he no longer could comprehend the newspaper for instance or sign his name on bills. I began to think maybe that is why he won’t read information on Alzheimers. He used to always take care of the bills. The disease has taken away his ability to write. I can’t blame him, I have to blame the disease.

I=Do you believe that continued education about the disease to caregivers will provide an opportunity to better the relationship between caregivers and their loved ones with dementia?
S=Yes I do. I have already been given advice by our therapists on how as a caregiver I must also allow my husband to continue making an effort to use his retained abilities. I must avoid taking over
activities my husband can still manage. This advice has helped me to make those changes and has given me somewhat of a responsibility release instead of trying to do it all.

I=Are you aware of programs within your community that are available to support caregivers like yourself?
S=I wasn't aware at first until our physician recommended that I join the Alzheimers association. I have found a lot of support through this association. I receive newsletters and can actively participate in the advocacy of Alzheimers awareness. I know now that Alzheimers is only one form of dementia and that there are a lot of people inflicted with this
disease.
Perry, J., & Connor, D. (2002).