Good morning,
I’ve been talking about Alzheimer’s quite a bit this month, to raise the awareness of World Alzheimer’s Month; however, one thing I haven’t covered here on the page for a little while is some of the theories that surround the condition.
We’re going to be correcting that in today’s blog, where we take a look at The Bookcase Analogy.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
The Bookcase Analogy describes memory, much like a bookcase. Each book is its own memory, stored in shelves which represent all of your adventures, lessons learnt and people met as you have moved through life.
Imagine Alzheimer’s is something that is gradually damaging the bookcase. When books fall off or are misplaced, this is akin to how Alzheimer’s can impact somebody’s mind. If they fall off, this reflects somebody’s struggles to retain the knowledge, experience or stories that they have experienced throughout their life.
This can be highly upsetting for the person with the illness, as well as being incredibly difficult for those around them who are trying to support them wherever they can. These can lead to them having enlarged emotions. What I mean by this is that certain emotions can be amplified by this stress. People can become very anxious, stressed, jumpy or any other sort of emotion caused by this stress.
Books can also be swapped and moved around on a bookcase, much like how a person’s memories can become slightly jumbled due to the disease. The most recent books to be added to the case are those typically impacted first, with the childhood and younger years protected more towards the bottom of the bookcase.
Some people also like to interpret it as the emotional memories, the feelings of love and connection, stay safely tucked in the bottom shelves.
When my Nana’s Alzheimer’s worsened, I didn’t understand this at first. I thought she was disappearing. But over time, I realised that even when the details of our adventures faded, the feeling of our bond never left.
That’s why I kept visiting with stories, songs, and little moments to share. Even if she couldn’t place the memory, she could feel the love behind it.
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and this theory reminds me that while memories may fade, the emotions we create with those we love can last forever.
That’s all for today’s blog, what do you think? What small moments or feelings from a loved one will always stay on your bookshelf?
I’d love to hear your thoughts ⤵️
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!
James
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