Identity & Memory Loss
December 26, 2008
One of my first lessons about the value of identity for those with memory loss came when I was a young new social worker in a nursing home. The special teacher who inspired me was named Wade.
Wade had dementia, a condition affecting his communication, his sense of his own identity, and his ability to relate to others. He was lonely and he struggled to find the words for his stories. He paced the halls, speaking incomplete sentences to whomever would listen. Sometimes he tried to coax caregivers and visitors into his room to look at the one small photo behind glass of him next to his plane. When there, he would stand in front of his photo - bright, proud and sure of his identity as a father and pilot. His words would come faster, his smile would beam across the room and sometimes he would take my hand. He loved to talk about flying planes.
When I complete a book for someone with memory loss, I think of Wade trying to get people into his room to gather around his one picture - the lone picture we couldn’t take down or hold safely, but the photo that helped bring Wade to himself and spark his memory.
Here’s to you, Wade, wherever you are.
-Kiessa
Client names are changed for confidentiality or used with permission.
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