Crystallized Intelligence

About five years have passed already since my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Sometimes, she could not even spell her name.

One day, I was asked to take my mother to an event that her old friends organized at a hall downtown. We took the train, which was so hard for her since the stations were dangerous, complicated, and crowded. We left our house early because I thought our travel could take a long time.

Fortunately, we had a smooth travel to the venue. The event had not started yet when we arrived. A few event staff were doing last-minute preparations. In the hall was a piano with a chair. I asked my mother to sit on the chair since we had walked quite a long distance, and then I started talking with a member of the staff.

Suddenly, my mother started playing the piano. It was not perfect, but I could tell what song she was playing. She had difficulty remembering dates, times, and people, but she could play the piano. I was doubly shocked because I did not know she had musical experience. Apparently, she learned to play the piano when she was young.

Doctors call this crystallized intelligence. Most Alzheimer’s disease patients can perform behaviors they repeatedly practiced when they were young. Some types of intelligence are crystalized through repeated practice.

In my mother’s case, this intelligence was playing the piano. What about me? I was a member of a drama club in high school. I practiced tongue twisters a lot. When I get old in a facility and I am given an opportunity to stand on-stage, I would recite tongue twisters.

It would not be cool. My caregivers would be surprised because I could be loudly speaking meaningless words, and then they would isolate and place me a detention room.

I wish I learned how to play the piano.

 

Picture by Frog