Posted on 08/30/2016 5:22:31 PM PDT by Bigg Red
Eighty year old Ted McDermott has been entertaining most of his life and was well known for singing in clubs around England. His nickname – The Songaminute Man – was given to him because of his incredible ability to remember so many songs. In the past few years his memory has deteriorated as he battles Alzheimer’s, but the songs remain.
Simon McDermott, 40, uploaded dashcam video of him and his dad, 80-year-old Ted, driving around and singing. “In the last few years his memory has deteriorated a lot – often not recognising family and with many aggressive episodes. When we’ve got him singing again he’s back in the room. It’s these moments that we treasure,” McDermott explained on the fundraising page he set up for the Alzheimer’s Society. The duo has raised more than $100,000 so far.
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(Excerpt) Read more at scarymommy.com ...
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Glad you liked it.
Here’s hoping it brings them some comfort.
My dear mother passed away in 2007 when she was just 6 weeks shy of her 95th birthday. She did not have Alzheimer’s, but she was suffering from dementia.
She had always loved to sing, and even when she had gotten to the point that she did not recognize her own children or even know who she was she could still remember old popular songs. On the days that I was caring for her, we sang all sorts of songs as I was bathing her and dressing her. It made everything go so well.
Nice.
Prayers for you and for your father.
Understand that dementia is not always caused by Alzheimer’s. In my late mother’s case it was caused by a series of mini-strokes. Even after she had reached the point of not recognizing us, she could still carry on the type of conversation you might have with someone you had just met. Any stranger passing by would not have realized that her mind was failing.
The first time she asked me, “Now where does your family live?” I was a little taken aback. When she would ask similar questions, I often debated in my mind if it was better to tell her who she was and how we were related — which is what I did — or if it would have been more helpful for her if I had made something up. She always seemed so confused by my answers.
Two of my siblings really took it hard when she did not know who they were, but I came to accept it. I just came to the point of treating her as if she were a child, which is what my very bright, well-read, proud mother had become. Knowing that she was not aware of her loss was a comfort to me.
Two of my sisters and I rotated care of her at her home, and, over the course of those 2 years, I tried to treat her with the same sweet care and kindness she had given to all of her 9 children and to her grandchildren. I came to be thankful for the opportunity to take care of my dear mother as she had once cared for me. Fortunately, she remained very sweet and co-operative throughout all of it.
Prayers for you and your mother.
So good that your MIL has you to take her out on the weekends. It is amazing how music affects the brain, isn’t it?
You seem to have a great attitude.
Prayers up for you.
+1
Excellent advice.
That is SO typical for dementia.
We saw the same thing, especially the eating issues.
You are fortunate indeed. My m-i-l was not so sweet at the end.
We think it was mini strokes for her as well.
One of my friends has dementia and he is 55 years old. He hasn’t known anyone for the past 10 years. He is beginning to lose his ability to speak. The last thing he did before being committed was drive away everyone with his anger. By the time everyone figured it out, it was too late.
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m sure I will start adjusting to this new loss. My mom was like yours, so sweet and caring and nurturing. She knows her brain isn’t working the way it should. I don’t want her to feel badly. I know it is way worse for her than whatever I’m going through. I especially want to thank you for your prayers.
You are most welcome.
Yes, I remember when my mother first started losing her memory. She was sometimes confused by it, as well. But, eventually, she seemed to not realize what had happened.
When one of my sisters was so very distraught over Mother’s state, it was a comfort to my sister when I told her that Mom was not aware of all that she had lost.
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