A Story a Day Keeps Dementia Away!

My mother, sadly, is developing dementia at quite a rapid pace. My father also had dementia when he passed away, so the prognosis for me is not great.

I came across this joke the other day that brought a smile to my face, and hopefully it will do the same for you. (No derogatory implications are meant to anyone with dementia.)

"A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbour and says, "Jerry, can you please come over and help me out? I have this killer jigsaw puzzle I picked up the other day, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out how to start it.”

“What is it supposed to be when it is finished?” he asked.

“According to the picture on the box, it is a rooster.”

Jerry goes over to help her out. She lets him in the door, and he sets all of the pieces on the kitchen table. He studies them for a minute, then looks at the box, turns to her, and says:

"First, no matter what we try, we won’t finish this jigsaw to remember the rooster."

He takes her hand and sits her down. “Secondly, I want you to stay here. I’ll make us a nice cup of tea,” he says with a deep sigh. "Let's put all the cornflakes back in the box.”

Losing your faculties in any sense is a shock to the system.

Growing old is a bitch!

That will be me one day, so I am doing everything I can to keep my faculties as long as I can.

That is one of the main reasons why I write.

It has become a discipline to write in some form every day, or almost every day. I enjoy crosswords and mahjong, but nothing beats working on a poem or a story.

Experimenting with new poetry styles or storytelling genres adds an exciting challenge. Like many other Vocal creators, I have taken on a personal challenge. I aim to write a story for each community. So far, of the 48, I have covered 35.

Till next time,

Calvin