Experience of learning new things is progress of our knowledge and spiritual growth. About a year ago I had the honor of helping the in one of the senior centers in my area. Some of the seniors that live in the center were in the beginning and/or first stages of the illness, Dementia There are many level of Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease.
First when they come to the Senior Center, that has been evaluated by their Doctor and recommend is for home care, and or a Senior Living Center. Usually these centers are very nice, clean, and look like hotels or a resort; this is wonderful if they have the means to live there.
In losing my husband a few years ago and not realizing how sick he was, only his heart problems, I did not notice the signs before me and with the experience after he passed of working in the Senior Center, I really understand. At first off and on he would forget how to get out of store, then he would lose the car in the parking lot, forget about something he just said, or was share with him, these are signs that we should all look for, if they are repeated in a pattern. This illness causes them to be come angry sometimes, they do not know why the angry they just do, and later stages become self destructive or hurt someone without meaning to.
The Mirror, this opportunity, helps me to understand what really happen to him. This wonderful experience I hold in thankfulness for the answer, by helping out and learning about how this illness, how it really affects family and the person.
There was a lady in the Senior Center, she was in the last stages, very intelligent women, was a professional person all her life, now in her 80's. With this illness you have short term memory loss, long term at the later stages they may have some recall. This wonderful person call out to the Care Giver one day that she was frighten in her room. So the Care Giver went into the room to see what the problem was, she said, in the bathroom, there is a old women, she scares me. The Care Giver puzzled a little at first, went in to the bathroom, she said, there no one here in that bathroom, are you sure? Her reply, see, look, in the mirror who is that women, that old women, I do not like her, get her out of her right now.
The Care Giver realizes that this lovely lady did not recognize that she was looking at herself and the old women was her. So to help her not to be frighten anymore, they put contact a paper on the mirror, so the lovely women would not scared anymore.
This is a true story, how many people look into a mirror and are frighten of the person they see, not only when you become ill with Dementia, but as you face the world and the situations everyday. It is important that we care for our elderly family people, make sure you visit them, they may not know you, and they feel your energy of love when you are with them.
Count your blessings everyday for the health, happiness and love in your life, and the reflection in your mirror will show joy and the energy of love comes from your heart.
