Alzheimers & memory & radio

I just listened to a fascinating interview on the topic of alzheimers and memory loss. It was on Speaking of Faith, and Krista Tippet was talking to Alan Dienstag, who worked with writer Don Delillo to set up a writing group for people with alzheimers, so they could pass on their memories through writing.

You can go here to listen to the interview -- and you should, because it's powerful and moving and speaks so directly to the inherent dislocation and alien-ness one feels as they lose their memory. (You can also go to the Speaking of Faith website which has links to lots of related and equally fascinating articles).

And speaking of related articles, here is one by Alan Dienstag about his experience. A few things stood out to me:

1. The prompts they used in the writing groups are remarkably similar to the prompts we've used for EWLLY and Project X and now for this project. I quote from the article:

Our goal was to stimulate memories and feelings. We began by devising a list of topics, one or two of which we would present at each meeting, which might serve as a point of departure. The original list was made up of the following subjects/titles:

* I remember …
* My friend
* An unforgettable person
* The house where I grew up
* Summer memories
* The last time I saw …
* The ocean
* What is happening to me
* Birthdays
* My doctor
* A movie
* My mother's voice
* My father's hands
* A photograph
* What other people notice
* A precious object
* The future
* My life now

2. Some of the pieces of writing they include are just heartbreaking, but also painstakingly written and misspelled, as if from someone barely holding onto their memory of grammar and communication. Here's one, from a woman named Charlotte:

My life if my life was growing in going to growing—

My mother lost her first darghter when she was one hear and when I was born mother watched me although all the time.

I reamontay when my brother and I bosh my mother called the Docter and up the six flights and said was very sick. My parents worred a lot ad the Docter soften his and said do worred she will life for all time.

3. Dienstag reminisces about his own grandmother, and how before her death she started to give things away. His thoughts on how this applies to memories themselves is lovely:

As she neared the end of her life, my grandmother seemed to understand that if you can give something away, you don't lose it. This, as it turns out, is as true of memories as it is of objects and is yet another aspect of memory that is often overlooked. Memories are, in a sense, fungible. Writing is a form of memory, and unlike the spoken word, leaves a mark in the physical world. As a form of memory, writing creates possibilities for remembering, for the sharing and safeguarding of memories not provided by talking. The writing group gave memory back to its members. They were transformed in the experience of writing from people who forget to people who remember.

This also reminds me of the Lois Lowry book The Giver, a young adult sci fi novel of the alternate future vein which is too complicated to explain but involves an elder passing on his memories to a young boy, losing each one as he transmits it.

And by the way, all of this reminds me of Erin's show as well! Crazy that we're exploring similar terrain but so differently.