A lovely story for a Friday afternoon…Aunt Garnis Reneke (84) once more has twins to care for. When aunt Garnis gave birth to premature twins years ago, the doctors had no hope that they would survive. But she and uncle Bert fed them with a small dropper and those babies passed away only at the age of 50 years due to heart failure. Both have been residents of Huis Silwerjare Old Age Home in Schweizer-Reneke for the past two years. Uncle Bert is still self-sufficient, but she has serious dementia and is in the sick-bay. Uncle Bert comes to feed her daily. But then she stopped speaking and was immensely depressive. “I then decided to give her a doll, and later also a second doll. Aunt Garnis changed completely; the twin dolls keep her busy, she cares for them daily and kisses them abundantly. She now also talks and makes conversation,†the manager Lon Seyffert says.”
Alzheimers disease, also known as dementia, is a progressive disease which is incurable and affects practically a million individuals in South Africa. Normally it affects individuals 65 years and older and such patients need full-time care when the disease reaches its final stages. In our homes for the elderly we go to great lengths to care for Alzheimers patients with love and compassion.