Back in the summer of 2017, even though I knew Mitzi couldn’t really read much anymore, I wanted to take my kids to the library to pick out books for the week. She insisted on wanting to find a new book to read. Since the #1 cardinal rule of Alzheimer’s is Never Argue, I walked her over to a section of large print short novels and found one that looked colorful on the cover and casually mentioned the name, adding, “That sounds really interesting…” I left her (but not really; just went out of sight so she wouldn’t feel like she was being watched) and encouraged her to look for one or two others.
Too many choices can be so daunting for those with Alzheimer’s Disease, so I only left her sight for a minute or so. It probably felt like 10 to her but she wasn’t looking distressed at all. We gathered our other books and then Andy showed her how to use the self check-out station. She was so thrilled to have a new book to read. More than anything, though, I know it made her feel kind of normal. For a moment at least. I’m so glad I didn’t argue with her that day or remind her that she couldn’t read anymore. It turned out to be such a simple gift of normalcy…????
