There's that need for established order, to keep themselves, steady, and stable, the goings on at a daycare center…translated…
I'm a volunteer for an elderly daycare center, and in close to three years, it'd made me realized, that the speed of aging is getting faster and faster in Taiwan, the daycare takes in about thirty elderly women, and they all had signs of, deterioration. In the arts and crafts, and workout activities, you can clearly note, that they'd become, slower to respond, that they're not, as healthy as those who are in their, age, group.
There were, three elderly aunts, whom, from the way they acted, we can confirm that they're, demented, their shared traits is, never talking, just, strolled quietly around the center, like there's a "do-not-disturb" sign on their backs, never interacted with anyone around them.
the activities that the Alzheimer's patient can work on...photo from online
Auntie Er would wake, and, would walk like she was scheduled to, in the area of the center, taking three, four steps at a time, then, get to the other side of the room, halted, when she grew tired of walking, she'd, gotten her self some ice water to drink out of the water bottle, and, as she quenched her thirst, she'd, continued, trekking on, steady she walked. At lunch, she'd, made herself, seated herself, at the chair with her name posted on, and waited for the caretakers to give her her lunch; she'd, steadily raised up the chopsticks, never dropped any foods onto the tables, and drunk up all her soup too, took her utensils to the sink, washed them, then, gone to brush her teeth, then, she'd, lain herself to rest. And her in-one-breath doing all of this, impressed the caretakers, said that she is, the easiest to care for, to NEVER interrupt or disrupt her in her, routine, just, let her take her walks, in joy!
The slimmer Auntie Hwa, also, was quiet, and, slowly and steadily, she'd, walked around the center, and, as she got to an unoccupied seat, she'd, situated herself, down, and, she would sit with her legs, crossed like a lady, then, gotten back up, to walk around. And, she would, sit quietly, in that, corner, and sometimes, for too long, I'd, gone over to check if she'd, dozed, off. But she didn't, she's just, watching the floor, with great, concentration, like a philosopher, lost in, deep, thought, and I'd wondered, how many secrets has her body held?
The same slimly Auntie Jen, would mumble to herself, made the noises that nobody else would or could, understand, I'd jokingly said that she'd talked in alien tongues, but unfortunately, we're not, E.T.'s, we couldn't communicate. And her action was using that invisible rag to all of us, start, wiping down all the chairs, and tables, again, again, and again, and she would only take her "break" at mealtime.
Once, she'd, wiped the handles of the restrooms too long, it'd, affected people who needed to go, and, she got yelled at, I'd, immediately gone to wrap my arms around her, tried telling her, that there's the table over there that had yet to get, wiped down, tried to lead her away, to dissipate a disagreement that's about to, happen, and, she was, willing to, follow me, away. And now, "the table over there hadn't been wiped down yet", became our, secret, code, the passage to communication.
the settings of an activities room in an elderly daycare center, found online
These three elderly women, can't remember what time it is right now, lived on, totally, different, planets of their, own, and, from the ordinary person's perspective, they're, ill, but maybe for them, having Alzheimer's, is, a blessing, in, disguise…
So, these are, three different elderly women, who needed to perform the repeated rituals to settle themselves down, to keep themselves, steady and stable, and, that just showed, how these elderly with dementia needed a set of routines, of when they're to do something, to have their lives, packed up inside, the tiny little, boxes, so nothing out of the ordinary can, surprise them. Routine is definitely a necessity, in helping these elderly with dementia age better.
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