Thursday night Bob and other former Think Tank Player members (this was an adult education class for folks with early AzD -- from about two years ago) were asked to sing their favorite song, Hello My Friends, at the opening of a local Caregiver Conference.
Of course, Bob never misses a chance to sing and wanted to go. I ended up also taking his closest friend, Dr. Joe, a former plastic surgeon, as Joe's wife has some stressful family stuff going on and couldn't transport him.
We picked Joe up and the two of them practiced their song all the way to our destination.
They had reserved front row seats for the six singers (and their caregivers). To get a better view I moved to the next row and sat directly behind Bob and Joe.
The performance was greeted by a standing ovation; the guys were all so obviously delighted to perform again. They belted it out and waved to the audience. Afterwards we stayed for about 45 minutes to watch the improvisational theatre group's skits about caregiving problems.
It was heart warming to watch Bob and Joe next to each other, being sure to stay together, holding on to each other, and whispering and laughing (only politely, of course) during the event.
Our doctor has stressed the importance of social contacts. The local AzD Association has created opportunities for people with dementia to bond. It is one of the really good results from this terrible disease.
Another is that when they "lose" a friend (two of their close group have already been placed in nursing homes), eventually they forget.
I love this story. As our principal is wont to say, "It's all about relationships." This proves true in all stages of life, doesn't it? Keep documenting your journey. You have much to share.
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