The Voice Of Dementia

[ photo by Kat Jayne ]

I love listening to podcasts.

I listen to a wide variety of podcasts from science and finance, to fiction and nonfiction. The first podcast I started listening to was This American Life hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago Public Radio. There is rarely a weekly podcast that I don’t  thoroughly enjoy.

I recently listened to one released on May 14, 2021 called The Daily. This one was done in three different acts, which is often the case for This American Life. Act II: So Nice to Hear Your Voice was done by Cecelia Brown. She shares about the cognitive decline of her grandmother during her time in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This interview includes recordings she did of phone conversations with her grandmother, Dee, during the shutdown.

You can hear her decline with each phone conversation. It is gut wrenching. I have written previous posts on difficult decisions that had to be made when COVID-19 was at its height with no vaccine available. The decision to quarantine the elderly population certainly spared lives, but there were also negative effects to that as well. Please take the time to listen to So Nice to Hear Your Voice. Click the title to listen now.

I think shared experiences are so helpful for dealing with difficult situations, such as a loved one with dementia. Not only may this interview provide insight into what to expect during the progression of dementia it may also prove cathartic.

(Related blog posts: Isolating Elderly During The Pandemic, Should I Gather With Family For Thanksgiving?, Laughter Is The Best Medicine, Caring For Dementia Caregivers )

Let me know in the comments what you thought about the interview. 

© 2021 Jessica Kluetz, DO