Personal Narrative: A Personal Experience With Alzheimer's Dementia

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Pages: 3

Around 11:00 at night, right after I finished my US History readings, I noticed my door open. I saw my grandmother enter the room, and before I could respond, she exited as quietly as she had come. Though at first I was startled, I quickly remembered that at night she would customarily wake up to use the restroom and accidentally find herself in my room. These accidental walk-ins were a common occurrence among others that I did not understand. To understand her better, I had to learn to see from my grandmother’s perspective.

My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Dementia in 2011. This disease brought out daily cycles of repetitive questions, breakdowns, confusion and depression from her. The person who would walk me to my Tae Kwon Do classes at Oriental Moo Do School and violin lessons at Yamaha Music School was now having troubles finding her way around her own house. The first year was the toughest because I had to constantly remind myself of her disease. I realized early on that this was not my
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I developed a better view of the disease by studying my grandmother’s MRIs which showed the atrophy of various areas of the brain. The MRI allowed me to explore a part of neuroscience that instantly intrigued me. Moreover, my mother explained certain symptoms that my grandmother experienced including restlessness. Seeing my grandmother’s experiences with Alzheimer’s from the medical perspective raised my awareness of this destructive disease. My newfound knowledge helped me to adjust to the difficulties of living with her condition. Also, with time, came patience. I no longer minded answering that question she asked three times before. I no longer got offended when she was angry at me for no reason. In the face of her declining state, I developed resilience to the negativities Alzheimer’s brought through a deep developing compassion for