Will's Story

You are going to your volunteer workplace where you work with Alzheimer's patients at an adult day care facility. You have been working shifts at the adult day care for several months and have learned a lot about Alzheimer's disease and the effects that it has on individuals. Alzheimer's, you have discovered, is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder like dementia that slowly disturbs memory and thinking skills and eventually the ability to carry out even the simplest of tasks. It causes confusion and memory loss, among other things, in those affected. Today, your goal is to talk and socialize with the Alzheimer's patient, and have decided that Will could use some company today, as his family has not visited him since you began your volunteer work. You have heard from the nurses that Will loves to tell stories, but that he can be very forgetful and letting him get through one can be a bit trying at times. [[more about Will]]

“Oh, heavens no! That just wouldn’t be right!” You think to yourself, "I suppose I need to be more clear with my questions" [[New Question]]

That question seemed to be clear to Will. [[move forward]]

"It was so beautiful. We were out on a lake and the sun was shining so brightly. When the wind caught Julie's hair, goodness, it made her look just stunning! And George's beard, well it's a bit long for my taste, but it looked very smart. What a day!" You notice that Will is repeating himself, so you ask a clearer question [[Ask him "Whose wedding was it?"]]

[[Ask him "Whose wedding was it?"]]

You ask "How was your week, Will? Did you do anything fun over the weekend?" You notice that he does not seem to entirely recognize you each time you visit the center, so like every week, you have to try to jog his memory. "Hi Will, I'm here to spend some time with you today! Do you remember me from last week?" Will responds with a quizzical look, but seems to remember enough to see you as trustworthy. [[he begins his story]]

That questioned seemed to be more clear to Will. [[move forward]]

Will responds: "What? Oh yes! The wedding this weekend was just great. I love the lake, and the people there were all so happy. Tanya had the most beautiful dress that I had ever seen, it was just so nice. Paulo's corsage matched it perfectly. Tanya's mom was crying when she saw her walk down the aisle. Why, Marsha could hardly even catch her breath!” It may not be the whole story, but you jogged enough of his memory to get a good start. [[time for lunch]]

You sit down next to Will, a jolly old man who reminds you of Santa Claus that you have been talking to for several months, and each time you visit his face looks older, more tired and more worn. You know that he has a limited family and has few opportunities to participate in family outings and in turn, few opportunities to talk to others. Most of the time if anyone is chatting with Will, he's bragging about his children and grandchildren. Unfortunatley, he rarely gets to finish his stories because he usually forgets his train of thought and the other volunteers get to annoyed with the work it takes. The best part of Will is his laughter, but he is rarely in a good enough mood. Just like Santa he has a deep "Ho Ho Ho" to his laugh. Most of the time when Will laughs, everyone in the building can hear it and starts laughing along. To put it in a great perspective, the running joke is that "His laugh can even make Batman laugh." You want to talk with him, today, so you [[ask Will a question]]

"I went to a wedding last weekend. It was so beautiful. We were out on a lake and the sun was shining so brightly. And when the wind caught Julie's hair, goodness, it made her look just stunning. George's beard, well it's a bit long for my taste, but it looked very smart. What a day!" You have not yet seen Will with this much enthusiasm, he seems so glad to have something to tell you. [[you ask him another question]]

[[Ask "Were George and Julie getting married?"]] [[Ask "Whose wedding was it?"]] [[Ask "Where was the wedding?"]]

The smell of food has filled the air and lunch has been called forcing you to leave the story. You are curious to see what they have made today, so you walk over to the kitchen area and you see that the staff has prepared three meals for the residents. The first is a tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread with onions, celery, salt and pepper. The second option is a salsbury steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. It reminds you a lot of a meal that they served at your elementary school. The final option is a meatloaf served with tomato sauce. Just like mom forced you to eat, and it looks about the same too. [[You help Will to eat his lunch]] [[You decide to take a break to eat lunch by yourself]] [[You decide to help with passing out lunches]]

You go to the kitchen area and grab the salsbury steak you know Will likes and you make your way back to him. You notice he's holding a picture of a little girl and a very pretty young woman in a long flowing dress. Will is bearing an expression that is of longing, but he also has a faint smile. He puts the picture in his pocket when he notices you standing there. You ask him who's in the picture, he smiles and replies "Well, just the a couple of my favorite gals in the world! Now, could you give me a hand cutting this up?" You cut up the meat into more managable pieces and take out your lunch which is last night's lasagna leftovers. Will doesn't like to talk much while he eats so you enjoy each others company while you take in [[Your setting]]

You take in [[Your setting]]

[[Lunch Requests]]

You look around the center and notice that the staff has put a lot effort into making the environment comfortable and safe for patients with Alzheimer's, dementia, and other disabilities. There is a whiteboard written out each day with the date, the weather forecast, the itinerary for meals and an inspirational quote to lighten the mood, as it can be a bit dreary in the center at times. The doors are all locked and alarmed, most likely to make sure that no clients leave the property, and even the bathroom has no doors so that constant supervision can be available. A small old fashion radio is playing in the background. The tv has "The Price is right" and everyone is enjoying the guessing. It is an obvious dose of nostalgia that they are trying to provide to their clients. [[An hour and a half later]] lunch is about over.

Will comes back and you have to try to pick up where the story left off. Will seems to remember that you were having a conversation, but he does not recall what about. “Now, what was I saying before? I can never seem to remember what I was saying…” [[You try to get him back on track]] by asking him a question that might trip his memory, though it is usually not easy.

"What? Oh yes! The wedding last weekend was just great. I love the lake, and the people there were all so happy. Tanya had the most beautiful dress that I had ever seen, it was just so nice. Paulo's corsage matched it perfectly. Tanya's mom was crying when she saw her walk down the aisle. Why, Marsha could hardly even catch her breath!” [[This question must have been a bit too vague.]]

➤ “Julie? Who is Julie?” [[Will seems to be confused by your question]]

[[That question seemed clear enough for Will]]

You say “That sounds just lovely! Tell me more about Tanya and Paulo.” [[That question seemed clear enough for Will]]

You try to get him back on track and say “Oh right, you were telling me that Paulo’s corsage matched Tanya’s dress.” [[That question seemed clear enough for Will]]

"Oh, you must mean Sage! Sage had the most beautiful dress that I had ever seen, it was just so elegant.” The story seems to be moving along now, but the details that Will is providing are fuzzy due to distractions. Either way, the important part is finding a level of connection with the client and to help ease the loneliness that often comes with dementia and old age. At least Will has someone to talk to and to make him smile! You are closer to getting all the way through Will's story, which is sure to make his day. [[You keep going]]

Will blushes just a little bit with embarrassment, but [[you give him a reassuring smile]] that encourages him to keep telling his story.

Will blushes just a little bit with embarrassment, but [[you give him a reassuring smile]] that encourages him to keep telling his story "Oh, you mean Tanya! Tanya had the most beautiful flower girl dress that I had ever seen, it was just so cute.”

"A wedding? I just love weddings! I went to one last weekend. It was so beautiful. We were out on a lake and the sun was shining so brightly. And when the wind caught Julie's hair, goodness, it made her look just stunning. George's beard, well it's a bit long for my taste, but it looked very smart. What a day!" [[This question seems very confusing to Will]], as if he does not remember the conversation you were having.

“Oh my, did I say that? I don’t know what I was thinking, how silly of me! Tanya was the flower girl. She was the girl in the picture” You reply by saying “I see! She must have been very excited to help. So, Julie had the beautiful dress?” [[This gets Will back on target]], but he is having trouble remembering names.

"As Sage came down the aisle, Steve was bawling his eyes with joy and Paulo could hardly look at her she was so dazzling! That beard of Steve's, well it's a bit long for my taste, but it looked very smart. What a day!" You smile and tell Will that his exciting day sounds like it was lovely. [[It is time for Will’s medication and daily check up.]]

You smile, and say "That’s right, you just were telling me about Julie’s lovely hair.” [[This gets Will back on target]], but he is having trouble remembering names.

Say [[“I thought that Tanya had the beautiful dress?”]] Say [[“So, Marsha was crying for Sage?”]] Say [["Who's getting married?"]]

[[“You were telling me about the fun wedding last weekend.”]] [[“You just were telling me about Julie’s lovely hair.”]] [[“You were just telling me that Paulo’s corsage matched Tanya’s dress.”]]

Will is happy to follow the nurse's smiling face, as he leads him to the other room. You decide to take an opportunity to talk to another staff member at the center, a nurse who just finished with helping a client in a wheelchair to use the restroom. She speaks fondly of the clients and it obvious that the staff has a high amount of genuine care for the clients at the center. She tells you a story about a client who comes in and spends most of his time there asking when his wife (who had passed in recent years) would be coming to pick him up. It is easy to see that the work could really take its toll on you over time, as the field requires close contact with situations of loss and suffering. Though it can be sad, you feel very accomplished knowing that you are helping to provide care, compassion, and attention to those who can really benefit from it. [[20 minutes later]]

Will returns, and though it is not an easy task to navigate through his mind, you are eager to hear his happy story out to the end. [[You try to decide how to prompt the end of the story]]

[[“Now, we were talking Sage and Steve’s wedding?”]] [[“Now, we were talking about Sage and Paulo's wedding?”]] [[“Now, we were talking about Julie and Paulo's wedding?”]]

Maybe these aren't the right names, but there have been so many! Will replies: “Oh my, no! Steve is nephew! Or is he my brother… Why I just couldn’t tell you anymore. How silly of me.” [[You try to guess again]]

Will replies: “Yes, that’s right. It was such a lovely day!” "Fantastic!" you think to yourself. Will seems elated. His happiness in having company is worth the difficulty of trying to make it to the end. [[Suddenly]],

➤ “Julie? That name doesn’t sound familiar… Oh, you must mean Sage! "As Sage came down the aisle, Paulo could hardly look at her she was so dazzling! What a day!" [[You try to guess again]]

You say “So, we were talking about Sage and Paulo's wedding, then?” Will replies: “Yes, that’s right. It was such a lovely day!” "Fantastic!" you think to yourself. Will seems elated. His happiness in having company is worth the difficulty of trying to make it to the end. [[Suddenly]],

You tell the nurse you'd like to help pass out lunch. She smiles, thanks you, and tells you to go ask Gloria, Clarence and Will what they'd like. Gloria is looking at pictures in a magazine. She's a frail old woman with whispy white hair who doesn't really say much. You ask her what she'd like for lunch, but she doesn't give much of a response. You know you've seen her eating the the meatloaf in the past, so you mark her down for that. Clearance on the other hand is much more talkative, although not always the most cohesive. He is only about 65 but of a robust build. You ask what he'd like and he begins to tell you about his time in the military. After listening to his story for a while he finally tells you that he'd like the tuna sandwich. You know Will likes the salsbury steak, but you decide to stop by and make sure. You then make your way back to Will and you notice that he's holding a slightly worn picture of a little girl and a very pretty young woman. Will is bearing an expression that is both of longing but he also has a faint smile. He puts the picture in his pocket when he notices you standing there. You ask him what he'd like and he says he'd like the Salisbury steak, which is good for you cause you only need one of each dish. You return to the kitchen area to grab the dishes and [[fulfill the lunch requests]]

You now that you have gotten the dishes [[you decide to drop off Clarence's food]]

"Here you go, one: [[tuna salad for Clarence!]] [[salsbury steak for Clarence!]] [[meatloaf for Clarence!]]

"Ahh thank you, young man! Nothing like a good tuna salad!" [[Next is Gloria]]

"That's not what I asked for, I don't even like that stuff!" Must be a [[meatloaf for Clarence!]] Must be a [[tuna salad for Clarence!]]

"That's not what I asked for! I don't even like that stuff!" must be a [[tuna salad for Clarence!]] must be a [[salsbury steak for Clarence!]]

After you've figured out everyone's orders and dropped off their food you decide that [[You help Will to eat his lunch]].

You approach Gloria, who is still looking intently at the same picture in the magazine. "Here you go, just as ordered" Give [[Gloria meatloaf]] Give [[Gloria salsbury steak]]

Gloria looks up from her magazine give you a big smile and nod and happily accepts her meatloaf. You decide to go back to Will and [[Finish Distributing Lunch]]

"You know I can't eat that!" Oh right I was suppose to give [[Gloria meatloaf]]

Will has a look on his face that you had never seen him make before. “Actually,” Will says, “come to think of it, I don’t think that anyone’s been this nice to me since… well, since her accident.” He hesitates but goes on with some difficulty, tears starting to glisten in his eyes “Bess was always my better half, and boy did she love to hear me tell a story even if she had heard it a hundred times before! And I loved to tell ‘em, too. One day, we were on our way to get supper at our favorite diner, but I had forgotten my reading glasses – I was starting to forget a lot of things. Well, I’m blind as a bat, you see, so I asked her if we could turn around and get them so that I could read the paper. We were only a mile from home. It happened so fast. Next thing I remember, I’m waking up in the hospital, but the bed next to me, it was empty…” Will said, choking back more tears. “I blamed myself for years, so forgetful, for what happened that day. No matter what you do, young one, remember to never dwell on the things in life that you cannot change. I know now that Bess would never have wanted me to feel that way.” Will takes your hand and says, “You know, you really remind me of Bess. You have her same kind, inspiring eyes. It's like I'm talking to her... wait, what were we talking about again?” And just as quickly as his expression changed to one reflecting a quick wit, he again hardly seems to recognize you. You had no idea that allowing him to tell the story of his weekend would allow him to tell an even more important one, maybe for the last time. the end