As the event coordinator for the 1st Annual Cordova Senior Expo, I wasn't able to wear my regular fall prevention instructor hat and provide fall risk assessments to the participants. Instead, I oversaw the event and made sure things went smoothly. Everything was great however I was disturbed by one professional's behavior directly in front of an older participant.
There was an older woman (I will call Bessie) who I had met last week and invited her to the Expo. When she got there, Bessie came up to me and said how excited she was to be there. I showed her where the activity was and watched as she began browsing the exhibitors.
Shortly before lunch, the representative from a medical-oriented Adult Day Health Care facility brought Bessie to me and right in front of her loudly said, "She needs my help, this woman has Alzheimers. She doesn't know where she is or what's going".
This bothered me because she acted as though Bessie wasn't there and could not hear what she was saying. Bessie looked at me and smiled; Bessie knew what was going on. This woman's actions bothered me because a person with Alzheimer's is still a person. A person who can hear, a person who has feelings. Alzheimer's can be a scary word to older adults so I think it's imperative that professionals who work with the older adult population are sensitive to their feelings.
Bessie and I got in line for lunch, she told me what she liked on her hotdog, the type of salad dressing she wanted and immediately recognized a friend when she sat down. Her son confirmed that Bessie does not have Alzheimer's but is in fact, sharp as a tack and quite skilled at playing "confused" in order to get what she wants.
Moral: People living with Alzheimer's disease are not deaf. They can hear you. Treat them as a person and respect their feelings.
Blessings.
The Fall Prevention Lady
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