I have achieved my first goal to work for charities, primarily Alzheimer’s and Dementia. I was going to find a course to give exercise classes to residents in care homes. As luck would have it, a very good friend of mine is an ex PE teacher. She had the same idea when she retired so I supplied the music and yesterday morning my friend gave her first class to my mother and the residents in her care home.
It was a resounding success. My friend was really good, gauging the abilities of the class, most of whom are suffering from dementia and varying physical disabilities. She started with a gentle warm up and I supplied ABBA’s Dancing Queen. ABBA is so popular with all age groups so I uploaded an album onto my iPhone. Gradually, with encouragement and a number of carers joining in, we managed to get most residents doing the gentle moves, albeit some needing more encouragement than others!
And then we have my mother! Physically very well and easily able to perform all the exercises. Instead, she decided to ‘play up’ and refused to participate. Once more, I felt like a mother embarrassed because her child was misbehaving! Nothing I said changed her mind. She called the moves pathetic and sat petulantly staring at my friend, stubborn and immovable!
After the initial embarrassment, I resigned myself, once more, to the changes this awful disease has inflicted on my poor mother. So many times, throughout the last few years, Mum’s erratic, often bizarre behaviour is so out of character and she would be mortified if she knew what she was doing. A proud, restrained and impeccably dressed woman with strict morals is often barely recognisable as the still beautiful, we’ll-dressed (I have made sure of that) person I have now come to know.
But, today the sun is shining. I have ‘booked’ a carer to come with me when I take Mum to her favourite tearoom in a beautiful Cheshire village. Unfortunately I can’t risk taking her out on my own. She is physically very strong and I am unable to restrain her if necessary. But I can still take her out, which is good. We’ll sing to Elvis and I’ll leave Mum feeling happy and relaxed. The best we can expect under these cruel circumstances! 👠
Jenny Burrell 