I work on the weekends as a Therapy Aide at a short term rehab and nursing care center. Some of my major duties are to get patients ready for therapy, transport patients to the gym, and just basically be another set of hands during treatment. One of the patients I saw this week was a lady suffering from Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). PPA is a form of dementia that can occur in individuals under the age of 65 (and sometimes as early as in the 40’s), and involves a decline in one or more language functions. She had a recent fall and was in therapy to improve her physical functioning to the point where she could go home to live with her daughter and not be quite as much a physical burden. I worked with the PT throughout her session and tried any way to motivate her to walk with the rolling walker. We spent what seemed to be 20 minutes standing with her walker and the PT trying every way to get her to take a few steps. (She was physically able to walk around the whole gym but was refusing and wasn’t about to express why).
Barely getting anything accomplished, the PT and the patient finished the session frustrated. As I pushed her back to her room I was thinking…there must be a way to reach her! My brain spinning, I pulled her back in the room. The poor lady looked like she was going to cry. I started reading the white board over her bed and in the bottom corner it said “Likes baseball, golf and soap operas”. So grateful for the tip, I turned on the television, found a baseball game and asked if she would like to watch baseball. She smiled and me and said yes. Those were the first words I heard out of her mouth in the 30 minute session. She seemed relieved to look at something familiar and comforting. I felt better leaving her in the room in a good place, and kept thinking how important that little note was! If that wasn’t there, there would have been no way I would have turned on baseball for the little sweet 78 year old lady!
As I thought about that brilliant little note left from what looked to be a family member I thought about our memory book project. I started seeing and how important those are not only for the patient/resident/client, but for the caregivers and healthcare professionals too! In the case of the lady with PPA, she wasn’t able to voice their likes and dislikes and what she needs. I remember when my grandma went into a dementia care facility 2 years ago, my mother filled out a very long questionnaire about all my grandma’s likes, dislikes, habits, patterns, and daily routines down to the small details. I LOVED hearing this! I know she adapted so much more quickly because of the detailed and personalized care they gave her. Even if this kind of care isn’t required or given at a facility a loved one is in, I would encourage family members or friends to do it anyway! It can’t hurt to leave notes about what they need, like and dislike. Who knows, the patients daughter was able to give a key word or phrase to the PT that would make her mother take a few steps, then it is worth it!
It was very interesting reading about Primary Progressive Aphasia on the Mayo Clinic’s website…I’ve put the link to the website in the title of my post if you want to read more detail about this form of dementia.
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