I keep saying I’m not a crafty person. I never have been, but I’m starting to believe I have a crafty gene expressing late(r) in life. Inspired by family and others, I want to learn to crochet.
My mother paints, sews, makes gorgeous cakes, and arranges flowers like nobody’s business. There’s few things she cannot make after looking at it long enough.
My grandmother crocheted beautifully. She’s now living with advanced Alzheimer’s. It’s incredibly painful, emotionally, to see her – a strong, brilliant woman – ravaged by such an enigmatic disease that eludes a cure.
I had the privilege of knowing my great-grandmother, who also crocheted warming works of art. No doubt that’s where my grandmother learned. My great-grandmother, too, suffered from Alzheimer’s until the age of 92.
I have numerous blankets and items made by my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. I regret asking too few questions of my great-grandmother and grandmother. I wish I would have asked them more about their childhoods, about the worlds they grew up in and raised their children in, about how they met their spouses. I wish I would have asked them how to crochet.
As I pick up my beginner’s crochet book and hooks I have no clue yet how to use, I am thinking of them. And of Alzheimer’s. Creativity and artistry is part of all of the women in my family. Perhaps Alzheimer’s is, as well.
Only time will reveal the pattern.
Beth Boynton, RN, MS
April 17, 2012 9:28 amI’m betting you do have a CRAFTY gene! Or hey, maybe it is coming through in your writing!
I work with Alzheimer’s residents on a locked unit and although challenging at times, (what nursing role isn’t?), they are all unique despite their limitations. I hope that your grandmother is safe and trust she is feeling your love on some level, even if she can’t express that she is. Sometimes I wonder if the disease is hardest on family members.
I have a couple of blogposts that you might be interested in re: care of folks with Alzheimer’s.
Improv, Intuition & Dementia: A Miracle Moment from the Frontlines of Nursing Care w/ Alzheimer’s Patients
http://www.confidentvoices.com/2012/04/12/improv-intuition-dementia-a-miracle-moment-from-the-frontlines-of-nursing-care-w-alzheimers-patients/
Communication Tip for Working or Living with Folks Who Have Alzheimer’s or Other Dementia
http://www.confidentvoices.com/2012/02/17/communication-tip-for-working-or-living-with-folks-who-have-alzheimers-or-other-dementia/
Take Care,
Beth