I recently had the chance
to talk to the potential leader of the Alzheimer's group here at school next
year after the current leader graduates. Yannis Grimm is currently in DP1 and
has attended The Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) for two years.
What was your first
Alzheimer's center visit like?
On my
first trip there was an old gentleman that I talked to, he was not as lucid as
some. We covered topics such as his family and personal history. During the
activities he poured tea onto his plate as he was painting and tried to drink
the mixtures. It important to realise that these people are real people and not
all of them are like what people stereotypically think an alzheimer's patients
should be.
What was some of the
stories that they told you?
One of the ladies
remembered me from last year, this really touched me because this was the first
time someone had remembered me and after such a long time. On the last last
visit to the centre I met a lady who I spent the whole trip talking to her. As
we began to talk we got into our histories we discovered that we have lived and
visited the same places and we could share the knowledge and stories.
Do you enjoy this
service?
Yes, it is fun because we really get to interact with people. I find it quite
rewarding and sometimes they don’t react as much as other people. But we get
these times when they interact with us in a way that allow for them to truly
connect. It’s hard sometimes because they sometimes lose track of what they
saying. It’s important to remember to be curtsies and to ask questions that are
not directed towards their condition.
Where you see
yourself in the future for this group?
Possibly leading position but I will join the group anyway
because I think this an important to raise awareness about the condition and
how to interact and behave around someone with. What happens sometime is that
the person became dehumanised because they become the condition not the person.
Link to Yannis Grimm's CAS
blog: https://casblogreflectingonpersonalandsocialiblife.wordpress.com
