“Can it sit by the table? I brought something…” Roger, who just walked in, is pointing at the little black nylon shopping bag hanging from his walker. I move the chair a few feet towards the table. With careful shuffling steps, Roger positions himself in front of the chair and slowly folds his tall frame … Continue reading
Category Archives: Soul2Soul Blog
PIAGET, The Very Fascinating Problem of Knowledge
“Young children cannot achieve the mental operation necessary for thorough comprehension of numbers. A 4 year old child might think that two sets are equivalent in number (Set1 = Set2) if they have the same length. The child focuses on a single quality of each set: LENGTH.” Set 1: O O O O Set 2: … Continue reading
Nest & Cocoon
Brigitte sits sideways on her bed, in the middle, where the security side rail ends. She wears a night gown, a white terry cloth towel draped over her shoulders. Her wavy white hair is gathered in a becoming ponytail. This is my first visit since Brigitte recent admission. We talk about her food preferences, her … Continue reading
THE MEMORIAL
How to create a memorial among people who have some forgetfulness and no common language? This has been my question for years. How to remember a person when you do not remember a person? For the last months I have been reading Francis Weller’s, THE WILD EDGE OF SORROW, after attending an intense one day … Continue reading
Dominoes
“Domino, Domino, Le printemps chante en moi Dominique Domino, Domino, J’ai le cœur comme une boite à musique J’ai besoin de toi, De tes mains sur moi, Domino, Domino, J’ai besoin d’être aimé Domino.” Singing that famous French waltz, I open the shoe box. I pull out the tiles and lay them randomly on the … Continue reading
SAFETY
“Call Security! She is hitting us!” Nicole, behind her walker, is zooming through the hallway, surrounded by nursing staff. She speaks in a language we don’t understand well. Framed by her short silvery hair, her face is serious, focused. Her walker went straight into the nursing assistant who was trying to redirect her. A few … Continue reading
ABOUT THE MOTHER
This 2017 post continues my 2015 post I NEED TO SEE MY MOTHER. If you have not read it, or forgot, you might want to go there first https://soul2soul-seniors.com/2015/07/02/i-need-to-see-my-mother/ 5:30PM, I am entering the activity room to start my evening program. Dinner is barely finished. The tables are getting cleared. Among the noises and motions … Continue reading
SPEAKING TO HERSELF
“–Pauline looks better today. –Yes, she is speaking non-stop, to herself. – I noticed that. She does it often, even when surrounded by people and activities. What does she say? –She talks about her house, her things. That she has a lot of gold and diamond jewelry. In reality she had some, but not that … Continue reading
THE HIDDEN RESTRAINT
The following story comes from Heather Luth, the Dementia Program Coordinator for Schlegel Villages in Ontario, Canada. It was quoted in a post by by Dr. Al Power, http://changingaging.org/dementia/the-hidden-restraint-part-4/ I encourage you to read the 4 parts of this beautiful post. Dr. Power’s and the Changing Aging team have been bringing me hope and strength, … Continue reading
What is Jin Shin Jyutsu?
The late neuroscientist, Candice Pert said, “Mind doesn’t dominate body, it becomes body; body and mind are one.” For many of us, negative and difficult thoughts are frequent, pervasive and inescapable. We find ourselves feeling tired, exhausted, anxious, worried, pressured or fearful, to name a few. In response, our bodies experience headaches, digestive issues, aches … Continue reading
Soul2Soul Seniors 