Remembering What I Forgot

You may remember visiting a grandparent or elder friend who lived in a nursing home memory unit. When you were a child you may recall sights, sounds, and smells that caused you to feel uneasy. Step into any one of today’s 16,000 long-term care facilities across the US, and suddenly those memories reemerge. Nurse Supervisor K. Allen tells of the emotional investments found while working with seniors inside the Van Gogh, a large upscale urban assisted living complex. Located at its core is found a locked memory care unit, the Rembrandt, where he and his heroic support team struggle to comfort those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other types of Dementia. Emotionally rich and deeply moving, Remembering What I Forgot tells of a day in the life of a memory unit nurse and the unimaginable obstacles faced by todays health care workers. A first of its kind, the story provides its reader with a rare glimpse into “life on a memory unit” including the emotional torment experienced by visitors who witness their loved one slip into ever increasing apathy and confusion. In its truest sense a love story of the need to cope and how to find hope when someone we love suddenly cannot remember well and is handed a diagnosis of Dementia. Insightful, humorous and heartfelt, Remembering What I Forgot conveys a message of inspiration and helps us connect with those in the final chapter of their life. Let us not forget them.