My Bonnie Wendy Wong

Being lost in the present does not mean that they cannot recall the past....

91 years old Mr. Watson has Alzheimer's disease. What is worse is that he is a stroke patient with Alzheimer's disease. A massive stroke had incapacitated Mr. Watson and left him bed-ridden in a nursing home. Day in, day out, nursing staff comes in and out of his room performing the necessary routine: checking vital signs, changing diapers, turning, back rubbing and feeding him. Lost in his own world, Mr. Watson is not able to properly express himself. The nursing staff does not feel they need to emotionally communicate with him either. What has to be done is done regularly at specific times of the day. The same sunrise and sunset happen everyday for him, nothing seems to matter, and nobody seems to think it will matter.

"My bonnie is over the ocean, my bonnie is over the sea...." the singing of a popular English tune once known to all young school children pleasantly fills Mr. Watson's room this morning.  Bonnie Sunshine, a personal support worker in her early 50's is on duty on the Alzheimer floor today. A cheerful and joyous person with a big heart, Bonnie is always a welcome sight to the many residents whenever she shows up on this floor.

"A good morning to you, Mr. Watson, you look great today! " (Umm....never ask a bed-ridden chronic patient how he is; you may get answers like "how good can I be ?") Pleasantly surprised that someone actually speaks to him, Mr. Watson nods his head slightly. "I'm going to do your morning clean up and make you feel clean and fresh for this beautiful day. Let me sing you a song to make you feel even better! My bonnie is over the ocean, my bonnie is over the sea...."

Mr. Watson rests his head comfortably on his pillow, closes his eyes as he listens to the familiar tune.   A smile slowly appears on his face as he reminisces his childhood days, or, hasn't he just winked? Very soon, he was mouthing the lyrics and before the end of the wash, the two happy persons in the room were singing (and slurring) out loud in unison.

We are often creatures of assumption. We look at things and assume that they are what we think they are, and act according to our assumptions. Have you ever tried to speak slower and louder when the person whom we talk to does not speak our language? Many assume that physically inactive patients who have difficulty expressing themselves would have lost other communication skills and feelings as well. However, not being able to express does not mean that they are not aware of what's happening around them and certainly, they have feelings and emotions too. They need to be respected and treated as an individual with sentiment and needs. Assuming that the incapacitated does not need to be talked to only brings on more frustration for the patient. Being lost in the present does not mean that they cannot recall the past.

"Last night as I laid on my pillow, last night as I slept on my bed, last night as I laid on my pillow, I dreamt that my bonnie is back.  Bring back, bring back so bring back my bonnie to me, to me...." What echoes now in the room is not just the sweet sound of singing, but that of a sense of joy and happiness that will definitely make a difference between Mr. Watson's sunrise and sunset today.

If only we can be more sensitive to the many that cross our path everyday, if only there are more Bonnie Sunshines around, maybe this beautiful world will be a more beautiful place.

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