Empathy

"Now I have no choice but to see with your eyes, So I am not alone, so you are not alone." Yannis Ritsos

Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to be the one with Lewy Bodies Dementia.  I don't think any one of us can truly imagine:  the frustrations, the fears, the limitations.  It is two sides of the coin, really, that people with LBD still have their memories; because in some ways that seems to imprison them even more.  When I go to visit the assisted living facility, I notice that the persons with significant memory issues sometimes seem content.  Dare I say, perhaps oblivious, of their circumstances.  No so with people with LBD.  They are aware of their circumstances; not the full extent of their limitations -- but that seems to make acceptance of the support they need even harder to achieve.  I strive to empathize, but I really cannot even imagine.  Nor can he imagine what it is like for me, as caring caregiver.