Dementia and Old Beauty

When I was a little girl, I always enjoyed senior citizens. In my 20s and 30s, I attended a Sunday school class of senior women. I come by this love of old folks naturally. My mother taught adult senior women Sunday school for all my growing up years, and I knew she loved her time with these women.

Today, I spend my time working with seniors and I enjoy every minute of it. There is such beauty and love in my people. Their skin may be wrinkled and their hair may be gray. Their joints may ache and their steps may be slow. Their memory may be slipping, and their thoughts may be scattered. But…

They make me laugh when I least expect it. They make me want to hear more about their life, oh so many years ago. They make me want to touch their warm soft hands and feel the love that emanates from their very core. They make me happy.

When I saw my friend Judy’s old house, I began to think. Judy’s house was built in 1909—and it is LARGE. This picture shows only the center main house. There is a left wing and right wing, and together they constitute only one-third of the original structure. When it was moved to her property, two-thirds of the original house was sold to pay expenses to move the remaining portion. The house is 107 years old, but it is filled with beauty. Hardwood floors with inlaid designs that will take your breath away. Real wood wainscoting with detail like I have never seen.

And this house tells stories.

If you stand in its hallway, you can feel sunshine, fresh air from the Sun Room, and smell apples. Since Judy was not cooking apples, I am beginning to think it was a memory coming through to my senses, and it made me feel good. (My Grandma Carpenter always had apples drying in her house, and she made fried apple pies from them. Oh my! They were so good.)

Judy’s old house made me think about my old friends. When I see her house, and when I see my old friends, I see beauty, love, joy, and life. Old is BEAUTIFUL!

Hope that gives you Something to Ponder!

_____

Photo by David via Flickr

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Carol Howell

Carol Howell is a Certified Dementia Specialist and Endorsed Life Coach with an emphasis on Creative Music Experiences. After her husband’s closed-head injury in 1996 and her mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in 2006, Carol began her study of the brain and the various forms of dementia that exist. Through her not-for profit company, Senior Life Journeys, she is actively involved in the lives of individuals who are caregiving for a loved-one with dementia as she helps them develop caregiving techniques. Carol’s latest book, Let’s Talk Dementia-A Caregiver’s Guide, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller, and it is an easy to read guide for caregivers of individuals with dementia. She also wrote the best seller If My Body Is A Temple, Why Am I Eating Doughnuts? It tells of the amazing miracle that caused her to lose 100 pounds. You can follow her blog—Something to Ponder—at www.seniorlifejourneys.com.

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