“You are my princess. I am your prince charming. I come to wake you up.” Clara’s lips stretch into a soft smile. It is eleven in the morning. All dressed up, she is sleeping on top of her bed. She likes to be there during the day, lying on her back with abandon. “Clara, come … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Validation
DO YOU SPEAK GREEK?
“Do you speak Greek? –No I don’t. What are you looking for? –I wanted to see Mrs. D., but I don’t understand what she says. It is all in Greek. –Mrs. D.? She speaks very good English. Let me introduce you.” We turn towards Mrs. D. who is seated at a big table. While walking … Continue reading
STAND BY ME
D-O-R-A- P-I-R-I-V-I-D-A-N-Y-I I am writing slowly on the little white board, hanging on the wall of the day room. I check if all the letters are there, even size in a straight line. I don’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want somebody to think I did not care; that I did not love … Continue reading
Activity
Ida is lying in bed, on her back, eyes closed. Would she like to feel the sunshine? Are the window shades drawn because the bright light was bothering her? She is blind and very hard of hearing. She sometimes wears hearing aids but not in bed. I observe one of her arms, naked on top … Continue reading
ANGRY
Elsa was having a fairly good day watching “Rick Steves Italy” She seemed interested by the colorful displays of pasta dishes, regional costumes and constant optimism of the host blowing out kisses from a gondola. Her mood darkened around 3pm, when she returned from the bathroom. She started calling out in Russian: “Papa! Papa!” To … Continue reading
The Great Unlearning
Below is the final statement from Gisela Webb’s 2001 article INTIMATIONS OF THE GREAT UNLEARNING: INTERRELIGIOUS SPIRITUALITY AND THE DEMISE OF CONSCIOUSNESS WHICH IS ALZHEIMER’S I can’t stop rereading her 5000+ words. They approach thoughts I wish I would be able to articulate. I plan to explore all her references… “I call Alzheimer’s the great … Continue reading
Stranded in Atlanta
–”That’s not right. –What is happening? –They don’t want to give me a ticket. –You seem very frustrated. –Yes, I am. I flew across the whole country and now I am stuck in Atlanta. I am going to Savannah. –How long have you been here? –Since yesterday night. –Did that ever happened to you? –I … Continue reading
NEBRASKA a Validation Fairy Tale
I watched the movie NEBRASKA, because the score’s composer and interprets come from the S.F. Bay Area. We have crossed paths here and there. What surprise to discover that the storyline depicts the successive and successful phases of a validating intervention. First coms the fear: if I say “Yes” what is going to happen? I … Continue reading
Using Sandplay to Explore Inner States
Do you ever wonder what goes on inside an elder with memory loss? Have you ever considered what is going on it their interior life? Have you ever been confronted by behaviors that you knew had some meaning but you didn’t know what? Having spent over 25 years working with elders and the last 10 … Continue reading
ON THE FLOOR
I enter the communal room where I was scheduled to play accordion. I see three staff members gathered around a body lying on the floor. Did someone just fall? Are they waiting for a nurse to assess the situation? Walking closer, I recognize the patient. K. lies on her side, a pillow under the head. … Continue reading
Soul2Soul Seniors 