"I'm still in here!" A story on the importance of always being included and not "invisible".....

 

 “I’m still in here.”

 
A caregiver in a recent training of mine told the following story.
 
She worked in a setting that cares for persons with dementia. She shared that a lady she supports with dementia was at a medical appointment. The lady’s daughter was with her at the appointment. The doctor carried on for quite some time and dispensed an inordinate amount of diagnostic observations, medical terminology, and advice to the daughter. The mother waited patiently for this very learned physician to finish. He then asked the daughter if she had any questions about her mother’s situation.
 
The mother with dementia said, “I’m still in here. So now that you told my daughter all that stuff, can you please tell me?”