Repeatedly Be Praised

 

              In 2007, my mother and my grand aunt were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the same time. I lived with my mother. My grand aunt lived alone at her house, one hour and a half away from my house by train.  I took care of my mother at home. I also went to my grand aunt’s house to take care of her once a week.

              In the first stage of Alzheimer’s, a patient tends to tell the same story many times. My grand aunt didn’t have that symptom, but my mother did. I was tired of listening to my mother’s endless, repeating stories. She easily forgot that the same story had already been told many times to me.

              In those days, my grand aunt still had the ability to make a phone call to my house. After I visited her house, she called my mother and said thanks. She would call my mother many times. My mother also had Alzheimer’s disease, so she would forget that she had already received the call from my grand aunt. There might be endless phone calling. When I came home, my mother told me that my grand aunt called and said thanks to me.

              After a while, my mother started to say the same thing. She praised me again and again. I was tired of her repeating stories, but listening to her compliments for me repeatedly was not so bad.

              Taking care of Alzheimer’s patients is hard work, but most caregivers don’t have the opportunity to be praised often. Actually, I was repeatedly praised by my mother for a short time, but I should be allowed to enjoy this side benefit for a while.

Picture by studiolaut

Watch

 

              One day, when I was reading posts on Twitter, I found a comment that said, “When I became a member of society, my senior gave me . . . advice: ‘You should wear an expensive watch. It will give you many advantages.’ Then I spent all my money and bought an expensive watch. But it didn’t [give] me any advantage after all.”

              I think the senior didn’t have any malice. In the past, people evaluated others depending on their watches because only expensive watches were considered to be accurate. When I was a child, my first housework chore was setting the clocks according to the time displayed on the TV. In those days, before news programs started, they showed a clock and informed us of the accurate time. All our clocks were spring-wound clocks.

              At that time, only expensive watches showed accurate time. Wearing an expensive watch created appeal. “I am very careful about time management.” That could give the person much advantage. Cheap watches easily became too fast or too slow. However, there were drastic improvements in the watch industry. Even cheaper watches became accurate. The meaning of wearing an expensive watch changed.

              When I was a student, my senior gave me advice: “You should wear expensive shoes. You should have an expensive bag.” Is this advice valuable even now? Nowadays, even cheap bags and cheap shoes are not so bad.

              I must be careful about giving advice to young people. My advice could be outdated. First of all, most young people don’t wear watches now. If I could give advice to young people, it would be this: “Evaluating people depending on their props is not so effective. People are more complex than that.”

Picture by SIF

I Was Not Listening

 

 One of the biggest problems when taking care of an Alzheimer’s patient is money. When I need someone’s care, I want to use my money. But Alzheimer’s patients sometimes can’t use their own money.

 In Japan, when someone has Alzheimer’s disease, their fortunes are frozen. Even the family members who are taking care of the patient can’t use their money without undergoing complex legal procedures. This system was originally designed for protect patients. But sometimes it becomes a burden to the caregivers.

 We try to save up for our retirement, but it is very sad if our caregivers can’t use our savings.

 When my mother had Alzheimer’s disease, I was not familiar with this legal system. I happened to tell a clerk at a bank that my mother had Alzheimer’s. The clerk had to officially freeze my mother’s account. But the clerk said, “Let’s make this ‘I was not listening to that.’” Then he taught me how to do the paperwork as a family member who simply had an aged family member.

 At least, in Japan, a fair legal system for Alzheimer’s patients has not been completed. There might be various situations, and making a perfect system could be difficult. In our case, I took advices from a lawyer, a tax accountant, and public servants. We have to find a way case by case.

 I am not a clerk of a bank, but someday, I want to say, “Let’s make this ‘I was not listening to that” in a proper situation.

Picture by Sato

Sweet Home

 

 

 My mother had Alzheimer’s disease. At night, she used to say, “I have to go back to my home.”

 Actually, I lived with her in her home. She was already in her home, but she kept saying this. My parents gave so much effort to buy the house.

 I listened to her carefully and found out that the “home” she wanted to go back to was located in the next city where she spent her childhood. She left the house a half-century ago.

 When we have Alzheimer’s disease, we want to go back to the “home” we lived in when we were children. We don’t recognize our “home” which we spent so much money on. My mother’s father passed away when she was a child. It is possible that she imagined her father waiting for her at “home.” She could have simply wanted to see her father.

 I have moved to many places many times in my life. If I have Alzheimer’s disease, which house would I want to go back to? When I was a child, I lived in a small old rented house. There were leaks whenever it rained. That house was a cheap real estate property. But I might want to go back to that house when I have Alzheimer’s disease. At least, in that house, there was a happy family.

Picture by by gttkscg

 

The Best Job

 

 

 I have worked in many kinds of jobs.

 All of them were easier than taking care of my mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease. If you ask me what the easiest job I have ever done was, doubtless, it was this!

 The librarian for the university library! I was a librarian in the 2000s.

 A library in a university has mainly difficult books. They took time to read. Then a few students came to the library. I used to work at the reception desk and do procedures for renting books. But only about two or three students came to the reception desk per hour. I could work on my chair. About one time per hour, I would bring the returned books back to the bookshelf. It was nice to take a walk. They also had an air conditioner. Once a while, my superior said to me, “Please, take a rest.” But I was already rested. I couldn’t imagine a more relaxing situation.

 I used a computer to perform procedures for renting books. I was allowed to use the computer for my personal purposes. In those days, I was kind of a writer. I was writing on the computer during work time. Moonlighting. While doing one job, I was also doing another job. It was very efficient.

 One day, when I was double working, the section manager was approaching me. He was the highest superior I had ever talked to in the library. I was worried he might complain about my moonlighting. But he said, “Your typing speed is very high.”

 He praised me.

 Later, when I published my first book, the section manager came to my house and bought a copy of my book.

 I wish all workplaces in the world might be like this.

Picture by graphicalicious

 

Tragic Rabbit

 

 When I was a student, I worked at an event for children. I was asked to escort a costumed actor. Later, I also became an actor in a costume. But at that time, I had never worn a costume before. If we are going to lead a car, it is better we have driving experience. It is difficult to lead a car if you have never driven a car. We should realize the same thing happens when escorting a costumed actor.

 If you wear a costume that covers your face, you are almost blind. We must be very careful when escorting a costumed actor, especially if there are obstacles.

 On that day, I was working as a member of the event crew. The venue was a park. My superior asked me, “Could you escort him to the green room?” “He” was a pretty rabbit. I had no idea why he needed a guide to the green room. The green room was a tent. It was not very far away. So I just walked ahead of him, saying, “This way, please.” He followed me.

 There were bollards, which are short pillars used to block cars. I had no idea he couldn’t see the bollards. I walked through the bollards and said, “Come this way.”

 Then the tragedy happened. One of the bollards smashed his crotch. In most cases, a bollard is the perfect height to smash someone’s crotch. The rabbit squatted down on the road for a while.

 The rabbit finally arrived in the green room. I apologize to him. He said, “I’m OK.” Then he undressed the costume. He wore piercings all over his face. He looked like a punk rocker. I was lucky because I apologized to him when he was a rabbit. I am not sure I could have apologized to him when he was a punk rocker. He looked very scary.

 Dear friends, costumed actors have a difficult time seeing. Please, be careful, especially near a bollard.

Picture by Mocha

A Younger Artist

 

 

 I am fifty years old. A half century.

 Now I have started to love the works created by a young artist. His age is almost half of mine. How lucky I am! Many people only love the products released during their younger days. To enjoy later years, we should have flexibility to appreciate young artists.

 Perhaps one of the benefits of loving young artists is that I would not receive the news of their death. I have received a lot of news of the deaths of elder artists whom I love. I don’t enjoy their new works anymore. They make me sad.

 The new artist is younger than me. Maybe he will continue his creation even after I pass away.

 I wish I have senses after my death. Somehow, I want to enjoy his new works.

Picture by by ClassicVector