Losing Your Mind

We recently admitted a patient at the rehabilitation center I work at who has dementia. A few of the CNAs have started to be very impatient with him, as they haven't had a lot of experience with working with a patient who is losing their memory, especially one with such an advanced case as he has. He will start sentences and not be able to finish them. He panics when we try to transfer him because he doesn't understand or comprehend what we verbally tell him unless we repeat it several times. As a caregiver you have patients you can really get along with and patients you can't seem to click with at all, and this man has been one that I have really connected with. He reminds me a lot of another sweetheart I took care of years ago who died, and I miss her a lot, and so it's been a treat to be reminded of her when I'm working with him.


Because of some work on his kidneys, he has had to frequently urinate, and it's not uncommon for him to need to go every 20 minutes or so. Another CNA and I went in to help him, and I wanted to see if he could take care of himself if we coached him on what to do. He was finishing up and I told him to get some toilet paper and wipe himself. He sat back, thought about it, ripped off a piece of toilet paper about the size of a half dollar, bent down, wiped his shin with it, threw it on the floor, then sat up and smiled at me and said "There!" He is a joy. :) Is that frustrating for him and his family? Absolutely, but I learn so much from these patients. It was a short and sweet moment for me to remind me how much I love my job.