It is no secret I have a weakness for hot chocolate.
It is still my hot beverage of choice, long after my peers switched to a daily coffee habit. So what does hot chocolate have to do with dementia? Everything and nothing at all.
Nothing at all? Our lives do not become a compressed, medical version of ourselves when dementia enters the picture. So moments for play, a treat, or a visit from a loved one should never become a line item on the care plan or viewed with a medical lens. It should happen simply because, and enjoyed for the beauty of being in a relationship with a loved one.
Life is made up of Moments. Dementia does not change this; these moments become more important with dementia. They are moments of joy, sorrow, care, and faith. So make some hot chocolate in your favorite mug, sit down, breathe, and savor the moment.
Take a breath, make yourself a mug of hot chocolate, and pause.
Do you love to learn? Most people do. There are many ways we learn and grow shift and change as we get older, explore new interests, and expand our comfort zone.
We learn from reading books, watching videos, and watching others. We learn through the senses and exploring the world around us, and by diving all into a textbook or instructional manual. The satisfaction we get from overcoming something once foreign or learning a new skill or piece of history brings a unique form of joy into our lives. So, why must this stop once a person has dementia?
It doesn’t have to.
Learning and growth, much against what our teachers taught us in school, are not always indicated by test scores and how fast we can recall a piece of information. This may be true for a time in our life, but throughout our lifespan, learning can be just for the heck of it. We may recall the information, or we may not, but what lingers in importance is the feeling we get from learning something new. Individuals living with dementia are not seeking the same academic and career advancements they might have had at one point in their life, they are looking to continue becoming.
Becoming. I think that word is underused in dementia care. The soul longs to become, even when illness, death, or dementia enters a life. We long to be better versions of ourselves for ourselves, our families, and for the sheer goodness of our humanity.
So, enter into moments of learning with your loved ones, residents, and clients. Simple or complex, retained or not. Do it for the wonder of our dignity and life.
