These days, conversing with my mom is like reading really good fiction that is partially based on a true story, or maybe like watching "Titanic". She mixes facts with fiction and weaves such a fantastic story that I get drawn in without a clue as to what's real and what's not. Today was no different. I accompanied my mom to her quarterly visit with her Neurologist. On the hour-long drive, she told me that my son Nathan walked all the way to her house from his school and asked her in Korean to make him his favorite soup that she used to make him when he was a little boy. Well the facts are, his school is 20 miles away from where she lives, so there's no way my son would EVER walk 20 miles just to go see Grandma. Another fact is, he can speak about two words of Korean: yes and no.
All I can surmise from this is she was remembering the times when she used to babysit him as a young boy, and how she used to make him this soup that he really liked, and perhaps longing for that feeling.
It's really interesting for me to observe what she remembers and what she doesn't. What's even more interesting is HOW she remembers certain events or conversations. I think my mom chooses to remember events the way she would like to. Perhaps she remembers in a way that makes her feel good, or the way she would have responded or reacted - an "emotional memory" if you will. I don't even know if her creativity is due to medications she is taking for her Alzheimer's: Namenda and Aricept.
According to a recent Discover article "Past Imperfect", scientists previously thought long-term memory was etched into our brains, permanent and unchanging. Recently however they are discovering that long-term memory is much more dynamic and can be rewired. In experimental treatment, patients with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) were able to permanently change the way they remembered a traumatic incident.
So, is my mom's creative storytelling due to Alzheimer's, or is she just rewriting the stories of her life based on how she wants to remember them?
All I can surmise from this is she was remembering the times when she used to babysit him as a young boy, and how she used to make him this soup that he really liked, and perhaps longing for that feeling.
It's really interesting for me to observe what she remembers and what she doesn't. What's even more interesting is HOW she remembers certain events or conversations. I think my mom chooses to remember events the way she would like to. Perhaps she remembers in a way that makes her feel good, or the way she would have responded or reacted - an "emotional memory" if you will. I don't even know if her creativity is due to medications she is taking for her Alzheimer's: Namenda and Aricept.
According to a recent Discover article "Past Imperfect", scientists previously thought long-term memory was etched into our brains, permanent and unchanging. Recently however they are discovering that long-term memory is much more dynamic and can be rewired. In experimental treatment, patients with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) were able to permanently change the way they remembered a traumatic incident.
So, is my mom's creative storytelling due to Alzheimer's, or is she just rewriting the stories of her life based on how she wants to remember them?
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