Our young grandchildren were sitting around the table watching me place a pile of green peas on a large tray. Then, I took away a couple each time. “What are you doing, Grandma?” they asked. “I am trying to show you all what is happening to your Papa’s brain. Slowly but surely, parts of his brain are disappearing like these peas. Papa has an illness that makes him act like he does. Don’t worry, it isn’t catchy but it’s a bit like having a broken leg. When you break a leg, it’s painful and difficult to walk on it the way you did before, right?” “Right,” they chorused. “Well, only bits of Papa’s brain are broken and because of this, he can’t remember what you told him last week. Because of this, he forgets how to use the TV remote. Because his brain is not the way it was, it makes him fall asleep when you are telling him something important. BUT, the part of his brain that is meant for loving, works well and Papa loves you all very much.” “Why doesn’t he see a doctor?” the eldest asked. “He has, my darling.” “So what did the doctor tell him?” “He prescribed pills.” “Will he get better?” “He might not get better, but the tablets might help him stay the way he is right now and stop him from getting worse.
Now it’s time to bake those cookies we were talking about and after we’ve eaten, maybe you can offer some to Papa.”