Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Here's another interesting story about the mysteries of Alzheimers. This is about Rose, the one I think I've told you about. She has said she's lucky to born in America, doesn't have any money but has food in her mouth and a roof over her head. That shows she still has more mental capability than any of the other women in 200. But something else is amazing to me. She knows the words to many songs from Broadway shows and others that were popular over the years. Once after dinner I told her I knew one song I bet she didn't know and started to sing what Eddie Cantor signed off his Sunday night radio show with. "I love to spend each Sunday with you . . . " She picked it up and sang the rest of it. That really floored me. I remember listening to that show in my teens - and she is nine years younger that I am. So she was just a little girl when she heard it. But she can't remember what she had for dinner ten minutes after eating. She has asked me my name often, but doesn't remember it, and doesn't know the names of anyone else, including the RA's who take care of her. I wonder, as the years pass, how long it will be before she forgets those songs. But some day she'll have "a brand new song to sing."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've heard that some people lose their short term memory before the long term memory. You sure can remember song lyrics and poems too! I agree, we will all someday have "a brand new song to sing."

Sarah said...

WOW! That reminds me of Mawmaw singing "A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD". She remembered all the words.

Eileen and John said...

Dad,

I bet that put a smile on your face that day!