New Perspectives

New Perspective Senior Living Community in Brookfield, WI

There’s an old saying that says that you never know how much you need something until it’s gone. In life, this can hold true for relationships with loved ones or opportunities that pass us by. However, when I began volunteering at New Perspective Home, a residence facility for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, I felt keenly aware of the far-reaching influences of memory and just how tragic it can be when it is decaying. The facility had two group homes, one with high-functioning individuals and one with patients who had deteriorated considerably. I volunteered on a consistent basis and was used to having to remind people of my name or to listen to the same stories being told each time. But, it was heart-breaking visiting patients when they were at a complete loss as to what was going on in the world around them and could not remember the loved ones who would visit them, let alone the strangers whom were living next door. What is the role of memory in forming our identity and perspective of the world? How does Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia influence our interactions with others? What kinds of treatments and interventions can be used when the mind gradually begins to slip into a fog? I learned to appreciate the tactics caregivers would use to help patients exercise their memories. Suddenly, daily singing of songs from before my time took on a new meaning, as did the basic card games and drawing activities. All of these were meant to help jog patient's memories and keep them active. Experiences like these taught me about the true value of memory and the mind, and just how integral research into brain injuries and disorders can be to the lives of so many!