Meeting My New Grandma
© Jackie
That lady I met in the nursing home,
she looked so much like Grandma.
I thought it was her for a while,
but then she turned around and wasn’t wearing a smile.
Mom pulled her over
and said she was Grandma.
How could this be?
My grandma would never ignore me.
She did look a lot like her,
and dress like her too.
But this is not the Grandma I once knew,
This is not Grandma, what mom said can’t be true.
This Grandma was talking and making no sense;
she had tears and her eyes seemed so sad.
This is some other girls Grandma, not mine.
My Grandma is healthy and happy and fine.
Mom was talking to the nurse,
about a disease call Alzheimer’s.
That doesn’t have a cure,
and Grandma has it, the doctors are sure.
She does not recognize me,
she stumbles and she mumbles.
She’s forgot everything that she used to know.
She is a different person, a new Grandma Lo.
The new grandma looks just like the old,
but in her mind it is different.
She may not be the Grandma I love and know,
but she will always be my Grandma Lo.
This poem not only accentuates the difficulty one suffers when affected by alzheimer’s but also the pain suffered by their family members.
Growing old is a fact of life but growing old and developing a mental disability isn’t. Some mental disabilities unfortunately are unpredictable and unpreventable such as alzheimer’s. However, no matter the disability, the quality of life that the elderly live does not and should not have to change. It is important for family members to realize that the disability is not who their loved one is, it is only something they have. Just as in the poem the narrator says, “she may not be the Grandma I love and know but she will always be my Grandma Lo.”
It is important that elderly people with mental disabilities as well as all other elderly people are treated with the respect they deserve. Just because they have developed mental disabilities does not mean they deserve to be maltreated or as treated as little children.
Alexis B.
I really like how you used a poem in this post to accentuate how this disability affects people and their families. I used to work in a personal care home and it was very sad to see the residents everyday, yet them not remembering you on a day-to-day basis. Some would ask the same question every few minutes as if on queue, and it was heartbreaking to know that they had no idea they had already asked that very same question ten times already that day. Many of the health care aides at this home would get frustrated and mad at them because of this, and it was a very sad thing to see.
ReplyDelete- Amanda P.
Good job on putting a poem into your blog to help understand the impact of having Alzheimer’s. I also worked at a personal care home and it was a joy going there, even though some of the older people didn’t remember who I was, they were always in the mood to talk and had a smile on their face. I agree with Amanda, that it is very sad when you see the health care aides getting frustrated at the older people. It’s not their fault they repeat themselves or don’t remember who you are and they should not be mistreated, because one day any one of us could be in the same situation and we would want people to be understanding.
ReplyDeleteMelanie.F
I love that you put this into a poem! It's a very different idea that really catches the eye too. I unfortunately know a woman quite well who suffers of Alzheimer's and it is so sad to see. When I was younger, her and I would spend so much time together when she came to visit. However, now when she comes down, she barely knows who I am. She also does not trust anybody anymore, including her own children who take care of her all the time. She is suspicious of them when she misplaces something and it is so sad to see. Her children are heartbroken about it, as am I. However, we all continue to be there for her because that's what friends and family are for. This was a really good post that I was able to relate with really well. Good job Alexis!
ReplyDelete-Marina R
i enjoyed reading this, and the poem is wonderful. It's sad when something like that happens, but you shouldnt treat them any differently, they may act different but theyre still the same person.
ReplyDelete-Allery
This poem speaks to so many people in Canada who have family member with Alzheimer’s. Grandparents always have cool stories about the old day about having to walk five miles to school up hill both ways. We have all heard that story, and the fact that this disease has taken the stories that memorized all of us. Having grandparents not being able to remember their grandchildren. This disease is a sad one.
ReplyDeleteJordan
Your poem really touched me. I can relate to that poem very well. My grandmother raised me in my home as a toddler until I became a teenager. She cooked for me, washed my clothing, watched me when my parents couldn't, and stayed at home all day just for me. She always used to play hide and seek with me, and even play barbies with me. She immigrated to Canada just to take care of me.
ReplyDeleteNow, my grandma has Alzheimer's. She doesn't remember who I am anymore, she forgot my name. She looks clueless when I used to visit her, and sometimes she thinks she is still a young woman in the 1920's. I am very sad to see my grandmother like that, but I must accept the fact that she is growing old, and now it is my turn to care for her. My family brought her back to her home country, and from what I hear, she loves it there, and if were lucky, sometimes she'll remember that she used to live here and miss being with us. I am truly happy to have read this post, it really touched me emotionally.
- Angelene