So today I went to this place:

Sunflower Gardens @ 3730 S. Greenville Ave.

It is an elderly home for people with alzheimers.

Hmm, I liked working with some of the eldery there, because they were just like helpless children and you just feel like helping and making them at least a little happier… Some couldn’t understand or be understood (or both)… and there were some that were cold and bitter (There was this one lady that asked “Where’s my supper? I’m hungry. Looking at this [they were decorating w/ crayons and stickers] makes me sick. What the hell is this place?”) and we weren’t quite sure how to talk to her.

The entire time while I was there, I wasn’t sure how to talk to them exactly. I wasn’t sure how much they remembered and how much they could remember. Each of them had a different level, but I seriously had no idea on how to talk to them. I wanted to help, but I also didn’t want to sound too redunant and reptitive if their memories weren’t THAT bad.

It was a very interesting experience for me since I’ve never interacted with elderly people with alzheimers before, let alone elderly people period. It made me think a lot, especially while I was walking home. If I ever come to be in a situation like theirs, I would hate to be a burden to my society… I’d much rather die than be around if that were the case. It must be extremely hard for loved ones to see their beloved forget who they are or what they are doing or why they are there. It sort of reminds me of one of my favorite movies, The Notebook, although even then the ending was a bit too ideal.