OK, not exactly, but I had the wildest idea. To set up a mini movie staring, guess who…Grandma Sophie! She is marvelously entertaining and would have made quite the styling comedian in her day, but for purposes of posterity and honor, I am opting to videotape my petite grandma.

From where might you ask did this idea arise? While playing gin rummy the other night with my ruthless card shark Grandma. I’ve learned from my medical training and just common sense, that by continual stimulation, she comes alive and remains as much the grandma I always knew as the one I love sitting in front of me. So, by sitting quietly, she will ask me similar questions…and sometimes gets distressed knowing that she probably asked me the same thing 5 minutes ago. If I am a more interesting hostess, like I was the other night, I kept the conversation flowing. And this time, I delved into the past. One particularly hilarious moment that made me realize..I must tape this..was when I asked her about her grandmother. “Well, she was a very aggressive woman, Abby.” I laughed out loud. Apparently a meticulous one too. My poor, sweet great grandfather was quite tortured but so good natured. Sarah, was her name, used to say, “Morris…I see a spot on the floor over there. Please go see what that is.” So, needless to say, he was a very busy man OUTSIDE of the house. Always an errand, a second job, whatever to find a bit of peace. So, I can’t wait to hear more.

A bit about Alzheimer’s. The formation and maintenance of NEW memories are the issue. Where did I put my keys? Where did you move to? What did I eat today? Those memories are hard to keep. You will find yourself (as I do), repeatedly reminding my grandmother that we saw each other last week or that she just ate Chinese food. The vast array of old memories are intact and alive. And one last detail. If a sharp cookie, one remains so. Of course, until the disease progresses such that basic skills and personality is eroded. So, my project focuses on learning more about the person she is and about her history.

So, this project requires 3 things.

1. A video camera




2. A list of questions (A phenomenal resource is here from Real Simple and the attached article.)




3. Grandma Sophie

As my grandma always love to say when I ask her what mischief she’s gotten herself into…”One thing I have these days is time.” So, I plan to take advantage and make her feel a movie star for the day.