Keeping in good company makes Elda happy. When someone walks through the door and greets her, she lights up, even if it takes her a minute to realize someone new is in the house. It is a nice change from just being with me, but most of all allows her to feel special because people are coming to see her! To hug her, to kiss her, and most of all to spend time with her, in her environment where she is comfortable.

We take Elda outside too. She loves to see the neighbors and stops to chat to everyone, even strangers! She wants to know what is going on. Now more than ever no one understands her when she speaks, so I make up stories when they ask me what she said. They laugh, they respond to her, and everyone is happy.

Like everything Elda having company is something that can backfire and cause her to feel overwhelmed. It happens when there are a lot of people in one place. I have taken her to parties, when she arrives and sees everyone, she is full of joy and thinks everyone is there for her. She kisses and hugs everyone, wants to stand on her feet and be a part of the party, however, when she realizes that she cannot understand and follow all the different conversations, she withdraws. She doesn’t necessarily want to leave, but for example she won’t eat with everyone and pushes food away. This is a subject that will be addressed in further detail in one of our blogs because not only it is hard for people to understand the level of attention, she needs to stay calm and happy but the emotional effect on the caretaker is also difficult for everyone to understand.

One-on-one company is always the best because she gets all the attention. She loves to chat; in fact, we call her radio Elda. If she gets excited about something and has someone to share with, she becomes illuminated with joy: and that is what we want for Elda.

To see more videos please visit our Youtube channel perlamoredielda

playlist: Family & Friends/ Famiglia & Amici Alzheimers