Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Praiseworthy New York Times
I know it's quite pleasing to root for the underdog, at times even heaping praise upon those short on talent and ability but tall on heart and effort. It almost seems the American way to do things, perhaps stemming from the fact that a couple and a quarter plus centuries ago we as a nation were one of the said "underdogs", and challenged the bigs to create a life-system all our own. That being said, I must concede that in the world of newspapers, my praise is going to a big and mighty...The New York Times. In my previous employ I spent a lot of time travelling, and therefore was able to sample a rather large variety of daily papers, both in large metropolitan areas and small, rural locales as well. I now read the NYT about 5 times a week (according to one study [pdf], I'm either a Heavy Reader or a Skimmer), and am always impressed with the amount of readable material and the skill of the writers. I know this is no surprise, seeing that the Times is "one of the most-read newspapers in the world", and as such they have both the means and the business responsibility to have the best writers. I also know that I'm not the first and won't be the last to state this most obvious fact, but I just want to throw in my two-cents worth and say that when it comes to daily papers, the underdog may not be the most worthy of your time.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The Elderly Files...Revisited
Well, it has been a bit since I’ve blogged, but there are a number of reasons for that. My work schedule has been hectic and quite busy, but I’ll not be a bore and share too much information on that. I did have somewhat of a bit of inspiration today, so I thought I’d jot down some things. I’m working now at my Home Instead and spending the day with Prof. G. (name left out, obviously, for confidentiality reasons). He is an Alzheimer’s patient that I’ve had the privilege of working with for about six months now, and is quite a remarkable individual, hence my aforementioned “inspiration”. I’m not sure why exactly I’ve not thought to keep up a report on the interesting and otherwise events while I’m here, but while walking with Prof. G. today it hit me-I need to be recording these things. So today I’ll begin, and occasionally kick back to some memories of the past six months.
As I referenced, Prof. G. has Alzheimer’s. The disease is always fatal, and although it seems a bit morbid to mention it now, that fact actually is the best catalyst to encourage me to be the best I can be every time I’m with him…because I want to ensure this last stage of his life is both enjoyable and tolerable. Prof. G. is very mobile and has hardly any trouble getting around, and at 77 that is quite an extraordinary feat! His memory, though, is not quite so robust. The day I first met him we went for groceries and he asked me no fewer than 6 times while we were there if I’d ever been to that store before, and then told me how remarkable a place it was. His memory (lack of) trend of late has been repeated trips to the mailbox, on which trips he invariably checks the neighbor’s mail as well, much to their dismay. I’ve had to make a concentrated effort each time to tell him that the neighbor’s called and told me to tell him that he didn’t need to get their mail today, as they would be getting it themselves. I must use such non-threatening language in order to ensure a pacific rest of the day, for if I fail here his mood becomes full of anger and agitation. On some days this exchange happens better than 25 times, and I must admit that at times it does get a bit frustrating (which, I’m certain, is a very typical human emotion in such situations!). I’ve been blessed with an apparent grand amount of patience, though, and for this I am very thankful. It’s just not worth it on any level to lose my cool, and I think this frequent exercise with Prof. G. will make a better man out of me.
Prof. G. is a remarkable musician, and spent his working years as a musicologist, most recently at Indiana University here in Bloomington. I am treated daily with his playing works by Chopin, Brahms, and his favorite, Debussy, among others. I am a self-proclaimed lover of music, enjoying a wide variety of genres. My favorite in the classical style music has for a number of years been George Friedrich Handel, and specifically his Water Music has been my most listened to piece. Prof. G. evidently has done a lot of teaching on Handel, for I’ve found 20+ books in his library and a number of CD’s by and about the famed composer.
Hey, I did it! I actually jotted down a thought in my blog…imagine that! Well, anyway, I’ll try to do better (of course, I’m talking to myself by way of the printed page, and not trying to make promises to anyone but me, so perhaps the “doing better” is the wrong choice of words). Perhaps I’ll be privileged to both jot down some fascinating memories of my client/friend Prof. G. and maybe remind myself and others of lessons learned along this much illuminated pathway of friendship with an Alzheimer’s patient.
As I referenced, Prof. G. has Alzheimer’s. The disease is always fatal, and although it seems a bit morbid to mention it now, that fact actually is the best catalyst to encourage me to be the best I can be every time I’m with him…because I want to ensure this last stage of his life is both enjoyable and tolerable. Prof. G. is very mobile and has hardly any trouble getting around, and at 77 that is quite an extraordinary feat! His memory, though, is not quite so robust. The day I first met him we went for groceries and he asked me no fewer than 6 times while we were there if I’d ever been to that store before, and then told me how remarkable a place it was. His memory (lack of) trend of late has been repeated trips to the mailbox, on which trips he invariably checks the neighbor’s mail as well, much to their dismay. I’ve had to make a concentrated effort each time to tell him that the neighbor’s called and told me to tell him that he didn’t need to get their mail today, as they would be getting it themselves. I must use such non-threatening language in order to ensure a pacific rest of the day, for if I fail here his mood becomes full of anger and agitation. On some days this exchange happens better than 25 times, and I must admit that at times it does get a bit frustrating (which, I’m certain, is a very typical human emotion in such situations!). I’ve been blessed with an apparent grand amount of patience, though, and for this I am very thankful. It’s just not worth it on any level to lose my cool, and I think this frequent exercise with Prof. G. will make a better man out of me.
Prof. G. is a remarkable musician, and spent his working years as a musicologist, most recently at Indiana University here in Bloomington. I am treated daily with his playing works by Chopin, Brahms, and his favorite, Debussy, among others. I am a self-proclaimed lover of music, enjoying a wide variety of genres. My favorite in the classical style music has for a number of years been George Friedrich Handel, and specifically his Water Music has been my most listened to piece. Prof. G. evidently has done a lot of teaching on Handel, for I’ve found 20+ books in his library and a number of CD’s by and about the famed composer.
Hey, I did it! I actually jotted down a thought in my blog…imagine that! Well, anyway, I’ll try to do better (of course, I’m talking to myself by way of the printed page, and not trying to make promises to anyone but me, so perhaps the “doing better” is the wrong choice of words). Perhaps I’ll be privileged to both jot down some fascinating memories of my client/friend Prof. G. and maybe remind myself and others of lessons learned along this much illuminated pathway of friendship with an Alzheimer’s patient.
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