The other night was our monthly Huntington’s Disease support
group meeting. They are always fun to go to. You get to talk with a bunch of
people that an fully appreciate exactly what it is that you are going through
on a daily basis in this world of Huntington’s Disease. We often share ideas of
how to cope with certain issues as well as offer support to those who may be
struggling.
This was one of those time where one of the members
shared a really neat idea for connecting with his friend. Steve* and Chris* both
enjoy watching a TV show and often like to discuss it afterwards. Of course,
since Chris has progressed to the mid – to – late stages of HD, he often has
time fully recalling and communicating his thoughts on the show. So, Steve came
up with a genius idea to help the conversation along. He watches the show on
his tablet and takes screenshots of parts of it to talk to Chris about. Then,
when he is with Chris, they scroll through the various screen shots and are
able to discuss the show. It is a great conversation starter and it provides
visual clues to help Chris recall the moments and communicate about them.
This isn’t the first time I have heard using visual clues
for someone with Huntington’s Disease. I have shared previously about something
I read once about creating a scrapbook of memories for important events for a
person in the later stages of Huntington’s. This allows the person to look
through the scrapbook and provides the visual cues to access those memories and
talk about them.
We all struggle from time to time communicating something that we want to say. So, we can relate to the struggle that a person
with Huntington’s Disease has a continual basis. Most of the time,
the memories are still there and the desire to communicate and talk about them
is there as well. The problem is the short-circuited brain that no longer has
the link to quickly communicate it and talk about it like you and I have.
So, the next time you want to talk about the TV show,
consider this technique and see if it will help. I think it is something that I
will keep in mind for the future so that Robert and I can talk about some of
our favorite shows. But, Robert, please note, I still won’t watch the Walking
Dead. Even if it is for a good cause. Maybe you can talk your brother into that
one.
*Names were changed to protect those who may not want to share their diagnosis.
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