Weee...Here Wii Go!

As anyone who faithfully reads my blog knows, I am forever in search of anything which will help my memory…and so the saga continues.  I have just bought a Wii—and the Balance Board kit that can be used with it.  I am flabbergasted at the cost of it all—I hate to spend money on myself.  Funny thing is, my dementia allows me to buy, buy, buy, without being able to compute how much I am spending…like money isn’t important.  Then, once I get the items and look at the amount spent, it’s like, “Wow!  How could you spend that much?”…like it wasn’t me who spent it…  I don’t know if that makes sense to you.  It’s as if I am not one, but two people: the one with dementia who doesn’t understand the consequences of spending and the one who can still be frugal.   For once, though, I don’t feel that I am being selfish; I need to do whatever it takes to help me mentally and physically.  As I write future blogs, I will let you, the reader, know what I think about the Wii and its potential for helping those laboring under dementia or who are working with loved ones with dementia/Alzheimers.

On to other things.  I volunteered today at the senior center, signing people in to see the folks from Social Security, and showing them where to go to wait.  It was a good day, though attendance was light compared to other months.  You can tell the holidays are coming for everyone’s mood is light and there are smiles everywhere!

Tomorrow, I teach my third class in the first volume of Strengthening Your Mind:  Using Your Sense of Taste.  I saw several of the women at the Center today who have attended the other classes I taught about hearing and smell.  They are excited to attend tomorrow; they say they are having fun.  I am so very glad about that.  They have NO idea how hard it is for me to plan and teach the course.  No longer am I that self-assured teacher of 34 years.  With little memory, I have to read much of what I present, which I hate to do.  But I have no choice.  I must say, though, the participants have been delightfully accepting and encouraging.  They want me to teach more after the classes on the five senses, so I am now planning other types of classes.  I will need to present them to the coordinator of the senior center to see if she will let me continue.

Having vascular dementia has changed my life.  Everything is more difficult.  Though I seem to have less hesitation when talking with others, I am no longer confident at presenting information.  I work hard at keeping track of my schedule, using my Palm Pilot phone.  I fight floating from place to place, not totally finishing one project before starting another…But I am still independent.  I can cook some.  I can do the wash, though I forget I’m doing it sometimes.  I can clean the house to some degree…never totally.  Thankfully, we have a lady come in once a month to help.