My heart was warmed today when I read this. Many do not know how to handle people who suffer from dementia. Bruges, Belgium, (population 117,000) has come up with a partial answer: remaking itself as a dementia-friendly city.
Throughout the town, shop owners have installed signs displaying a
knotted-handkerchief to show that they are places where people with
dementia can get extra help.
Anything we can do to make their lives more joyful is treasured. My own mother has always loved babies. When her Alzheimer's began to advance we still took her out to the mall to walk and out for meals. Mom would stop whenever she saw a baby and interact with the child. Parents would get nervous and did not know how to respond. Servers in restaurants would keep coming back asking my mom what she wanted to order. It occurred to me that I could alleviate some of the awkwardness by simply handing them a small business card saying, "Thank you for your patience with our family. My mom has memory problems. Please address questions to another adult at the table." I should have made cards stating that my mom has memory problems and has always loved babies. Thank you for showing her kindness.
Be creative in ways that will but others at ease and make the experience more pleasurable for all involved while on outings.
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