sending stories?

Jon and I each had a chance to see Alison this past weekend. Her condition is slowly deteriorating as she becomes weaker and with more debility. While I was there, she mostly slept. When she was awake, she could participate a little in conversation, mostly with one or two words to interject or react. Word-finding is so hard that she can’t complete a full sentence most of the time. But she clearly understands well what is said – she takes in language just fine, the problem is in getting the words out.

Kirk has the downstairs set up as her room. She has a hospital bed, and hospital-type amenities as she really can’t get out of bed except with a lot of help. She seems to prefer her eyes being closed –she listens, but it seems like it’s a lot of work for her when her eyes are open. Her appetite is OK, though not as robust as it was even three weeks ago. Kirk has arranged for home health aides to be there for both a day shift and a night shift, so he has that kind of on site support for Alison’s care, light housekeeping, etc.

Sometimes she seems so terribly sad (frightened? Unhappy? Frustrated?), though she doesn’t have the words to really explain why. Some nights are good and she sleeps well, some are fraught with restlessness or agitation. She does like a good laugh, and will chuckle away at a funny story.

I have the idea that she likes to hear the “old stories” – things that happened some years ago, that make her laugh or smile. I wonder if those of you with a good “Alison story” could jot it down and send it to her in a card, so that she can share a smile with you about something that made you laugh or pleased you both? Alternatively, if you want to post your story as a comment on the blog, I’m sure someone will read it to her. While her short-term memory is massively impaired, she has great long-term memory. If you have the inclination, I think your stories might really cheer her up. Thanks so much.