We have to learn how to care.

I'm trying to go out of my way to meet people with Alzheimer's. Because they need support. Or to put it another way. Care. Care from anyone that can give it. To help them through these next few years. It isn't sufficient for someone with Alzheimer's to be pulled through, cared for, by one person. It's too much for one person to handle. The patient needs stimulation. Lots of it. That is what will keep him alive and functioning for far longer than if he didn't get the stimulus. Unfortunately, too many of us just write off the Alzheimer patient. We try to put 'em away. Because it's demoralizing for some care-givers. Many of 'em can't take it. They don't know how to stimulate. They think it's too big of a task. And they develop a defeatist attitude. And that's contagious. It puts the patient in a hostile environment. Robs him of the much-needed positive stimulation. The patient ends up getting only token attention. And it's little wonder that they then tend to deteriorate quickly. It doesn't have to be that way. But it takes a lot of caring. By a team. Of friends. Of loved ones. And professionals. We have to learn how to care. Really care. Not just go through the motions. --Jim Broede