This week we are pleased to share a blog written by Sue Beeson. Sue is living with dementia and recently worked with us to help develop our Namaste Care short course, including sharing poetry and artwork that reflects her own experiences. Sue is the third generation in her family to have an Alzheimer’s dementia. She has experience caring for both parents and is passionate about the difference quality care and care settings can make to people’s lives. Her background is in education, with an interest in brain development and behaviour. She has a classical music background, playing the harp, which she now takes into care settings. She also has a PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog who she takes into a local primary school. Here she considers the concept of déjà vu. Over to Sue…
A recent development in my perception of the world around me is recurring events of ‘Déjà vu’ and I’m curious about whether it’s related to my Alzheimer’s (diagnosed January 2022) and/or stroke (caused by a blood clot, April 2024).
Recently, when I am reading or watching TV, I ‘ve felt quite convinced that I have already read this particular article in the paper or seen what’s in front of me on the screen. (Yes, I know there are lots of repeats on TV, but this really is different feeling from vaguely remembering something I’ve read or seen before).
It happens most frequently with a weekly newspaper I get or with news items that are ‘breaking news’. It also happens with TV programmes that are billed as ‘new’ documentaries, which makes me more certain it is déjà vu.
I find myself checking that this is the latest edition of the paper that I have just opened to read because, although I have just opened it for the first time, I feel that I’ve read it before and wonder whether I have picked up last week’s edition by mistake.
It also sometimes happens with face-to-face conversations with people, but I don’t like to say, “have you told me this before?”
Perhaps the age of the folks I’m usually with means they repeat themselves (as I do), but the déjà vu episodes also happen with the children and teachers in the Primary school that I visit with my therapy dog.
These experiences don’t particularly bother me, but I’m curious about whether this a common feature of Alzheimer’s and/or stroke, or geriatric brains generally?
Footnote: I’m not considering taking up a new career in fortune telling.
Thank you Sue for sharing your insights and giving us all food for thought.
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