Here’s some stuff that y’all will probably find interesting and unexpected. We’ve been noticing quite a number of couples at TVN. New ones, that is. People getting together. Finding “companions” or “special friends”, as the people refer to them. When some people talk about their special friend or good friend, they may not be implying any physical involvement, but something I’ve found particularly telling is a tendency for those whose memory may not be as sharp as it once was to be pairing up or seeking out a companion, someone to hold their hand, put their arm around them, and just dedicate oneself to the other.
The unfortunate reality is that memory loss is a factor at TVN, as it would be at any retirement community. It’s a natural part of growing old. But surprisingly, some of the people whose respective memories are at times a bit worse off seem to be pairing up. I found a related video clip on CNN this evening. It’s not exactly the same situation as I’m describing, because Alzheimer’s (at least not specifically that form of dementia) does not seem prevalent at TVN: I’m really just talking about plain memory loss. Check out the video below, though. Very insightful! There’s a lot to be said for touch: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2008/12/23/gupta.healing.touch.cnn.
What are y’all’s thoughts? Why would touch and affection play a possible role in staying dementia? What do you think it’s like to live in a place where dementia or memory loss play such a quotidian role? Anyone have any questions that you’d like us to ask any of the residents about that topic, or any other, for you?
