04-09-2020, 08:32 PM
Some weeks ago my wife joined a volunteer scheme to offer respite care for elderly folk in the community. She was assigned a gentleman with advanced Alzheimer's whose wife was finding his constant care exhausting.
As she got to know the couple Grace found out that he used to have a large collection of vintage cars when they lived on one of the Scottish islands. He apparently had no memory at all of the island or of the cars, or indeed of anything else. Conversation with him is repetitive as he can't remember what he has just said. He cannot remember how to eat or put his shoes on.
Yesterday Grace took our special round and parked it in their drive. As soon as he saw it his face lit up and he told Grace it was an Austin Seven. He went on to say that he had had three Sevens of his own including one special very much like ours! He walked around it running his hands all over it and recalling his own cars. When asked about his other cars he said he couldn't remember any others, only the Austins.
One very happy couple, at least for a few minutes.
Peter.
As she got to know the couple Grace found out that he used to have a large collection of vintage cars when they lived on one of the Scottish islands. He apparently had no memory at all of the island or of the cars, or indeed of anything else. Conversation with him is repetitive as he can't remember what he has just said. He cannot remember how to eat or put his shoes on.
Yesterday Grace took our special round and parked it in their drive. As soon as he saw it his face lit up and he told Grace it was an Austin Seven. He went on to say that he had had three Sevens of his own including one special very much like ours! He walked around it running his hands all over it and recalling his own cars. When asked about his other cars he said he couldn't remember any others, only the Austins.
One very happy couple, at least for a few minutes.
Peter.