Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Developing empathy and understanding

Yesterday I went to a seminar at Alzheimer's Society on legal issues relating to caregivers and what they need to ensure are in place. Of course this varies from country to country ( in some places from state to state ).

Before the seminar began a group of us were chatting. While I do not have any family members willing or able to spend a night or two  ( or longer ) others do. This woman was telling us about their daughter who has frequent contact with them but is a bit of a control freak and of tens tells her mother that she is imagining the problems or tells her what she should be doing - the type who is always right. Anyway for the first time she recently s told her mother she would come and stay for the night and sort it out. Wisely the mother went and slept at the daughter's flat. The daughter thought this would be a walk in the park!

Early next morning daughter rang and woke her mother up. She told Mum to come home...

Mum told her that was not the deal and she wasn't coming home until 10 a.m.

Daughter left that day with greater understanding about Alzheimer's and greater empathy for her mother. Prior to this experience she thought she knew all about it.

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