When I spend time with people who are living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, I make an effort to look past the surface and see the whole individual. I sit without doing, making space to simply be present without the customary busyness or setting of agendas. I strive to meet people with acceptance, listening from the heart, withholding any judgments about their mannerisms or confusion. I cultivate don’t know mind. From that place, I find that I can enjoy the often playful exchanges of language without worrying about logic, literal interpretations, or if what is being said is correct. For a little
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