ALZHEIMER’S THERAPY NOT FOR DUMMIES. Pet therapy. Yes. Music therapy. Sounds good. Humor therapy. Good for a laugh and healthy. But ventriloquism therapy? Hmmm? AARP Bulletin reports that several care providers are using ventriloquism to connect with and engage Alzheimer’s patients.
“Some respond by touching or kissing the characters while delighting in the ‘second childhood,’” says one of the ventriloquists on behalf of her dummy friends.
Time for a reality check: Yes, it is advised to meet Alzheimer’s patients in their own reality, whether it be talking to dolls or believing one to be their own child. That said, therapy should not be patronizing, nor should it simply encourage living in the past. Can Ed Sullivan reruns with Topo Gigio be far behind!?Alzheimer’s patients are adults who deserve to be treated with dignity, with adult children who yearn to experience what time they have left with their parent … in the present, as often as possible.
Alzheimer’s patients do benefit from many creative therapies. Of the most empathic, the response should be for individuals and families to appreciate each new day, to anticipate the future, and to respect their wonderful memories; and not simply relive their past. This is the challenge and reward each day with Eskaton’s “Dawn of a New Day” Memory Care Centers
