Video Reflection 2 - Madilyne McDonald

The arts and crafts counter at Best Friends
where residents get to show off
their work.

       Another Friday has come and gone which means another afternoon spent with the residents of the Best Friends Day Center. As always the conversation was stimulating and entertaining. Usually I go around 3:00 pm which is game time and snack time for the residents. This week I got the opportunity to go earlier in the day and was able to talk to the residents more than I have in the past. I had the chance to meet with a couple more residents that I haven't had a chance to talk to yet and I loved hearing their comments and opinions on life.
       One woman who I spent time with is originally from Germany. She was telling me all about growing up there, including telling me how to make sauerkraut, which according to her included stomping on it after washing your feet. She also informed me that she had decided she wanted to be married again and had many men lined up just waiting on her to say the word. I very much enjoyed my time with her and all her entertaining stories about a different time and place. I also met a man who used to be a radiologist. He used to work in a hospital and come up with treatment plans for patients with cancer. He was very interesting and it was clear that he loved his job. All the residents are ornery and like to make jokes and liven up the place. They always tell me that I will learn a lot when I spend time with them, and after this past Friday, I think that they were telling the truth.
      Since the residents of Best Friends seem to be very high functioning, it is easy for me to forget the struggles that they go through everyday. It is not easy for them to do the tasks that we do without thinking about, such as playing the games or doing the exercises. Most of them have such a happy attitude that I think it is a real testament. The fact that they can be that upbeat and positive even with all that they have going on in their lives. I was curious to know just what it felt like to have Alzheimer's disease  so I looked to see if anyone had every created a simulation of what it felt like. I have included a link for a video of a newscaster and a man whose mother has Alzheimer's disease. In this video both the man and the newscaster are given things that are meant to simulate what it would be like to have this disease and then asked to complete basic household tasks. Even with their fully functioning minds these two individuals were unable to perform simple tasks. It is a good reminder of how difficult it is to have this disease and how important it is to have understanding caregivers, like those at Best Friends.
Living with Alzheimer's for 12 minutes

These images show the difference between

a normal brain and that of a person with

Alzheimer's disease.