Teacher 1: The Day I Accepted Forgetfulness

   

    Teachers can be any person who teaches you important life lessons, whether it is directly or not. In this case my grandma has taught me many things without really saying anything. She has Alzheimer's and it has not only effected her life, but also mine.  This summer, instead of doing all the fun things that people do over the break I decided to take care of my grandma while my parents were at work. I was told by numerous people that I  didn’t have to do it if I didn’t want to, but I knew that I had to, not only because I love my grandma, but also because I knew that my mom needed help. I could see it in her eyes how it was tearing her apart and knew at once that this is what I needed to be doing. It’s like taking care of a two year old though, you have to watch them like a hawk.For a while there she knew who I was and could pull my name out of her head every now and then with much stumbling. Now, her disease has gotten progressively worse and even though she still can recognize me she either calls me girl or Laura. I have a theory as to why she calls me Laura. One of her favorite t.v shows was Little House on the Prairie and it’s the main characters name . It was a show that annoyed me to death, but I watched it with her anyways when I could. However, right before school started we were forced to put her in a nursing home. It was one of the hardest things in my life to do up to this point, so I can only imagine what it was like for my mom. At first she didn’t want to except the fact of being in a home, but after a while she got used to it. 

   Although, over the summer my grandma was unable to communicate clearly, she still taught me many things. For one I have realized that once elderly people reach a certain age they get forgotten because their folks find something better to do with their time rather then sit down for just a few minutes and visit with them. I have learned that this should not be the case and that elderly people deserve as much care and attention as anyone. They still are people and have feelings even if they are unable to be shown on the outside.When it comes to this point in their life you have to think about all of the good memories you have had with them in order to keep you from crying every time you see them.