Another Example of Kate’s Intuitive Abilities

I’ve written two posts in the last few days that deal with Kate’s intuitive abilities. This is another one. Last night she had an emotional experience that illustrates how powerful those abilities can be. This was far from the first such experience, but it was especially intense and lasted over a twenty to thirty-minute period of time.

It occurred after we returned home from dinner. About two weeks ago, she and one of her sitters had watched the first half of Les Miserables. It had been a while since the two of us had watched it, so I turned on the second half. As on other occasions, she quickly became engrossed. Periodically, I noticed that she was whimpering a bit as she watched. She was also making audible expressions of her pleasure.

Close to the last third of the performance, I brought her meds to her. Then I started to refill the pill holder in the bathroom. I was just about finished when she called my name. It was obvious that she was moved by what she was watching. When I responded, she asked if I could come to her. I went over to her and got down on one knee beside her chair. I asked what I could do for her. She said she just wanted me to be with her. Then she took my hand. I said, “It’s beautiful. Isn’t it?” She said, “Beautiful and sad.” She talked off and on for the remaining portion of the performance.

She thought it was so sad that we have wars. She explained that she believed there are times when war becomes necessary but it is so horrible that so many people have to suffer. She has always been moved by WWII and specifically the Holocaust. She said she couldn’t understand why so many Jews had been killed during the war. She repeated her thoughts for at least the next twenty minutes.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I felt this was a time for comfort as opposed to words. I listened and held her hand and supported her feelings. That continued until the end of the musical. We went to bed shortly afterward.

This experience makes me think about many of the movies we have enjoyed over the past several years. I don’t believe she has been able to follow a plot or understand much of what is going on for at least four or five years; however, that hasn’t prevented her from enjoying movies. For a long time, I wondered how that can be. Then I began to understand that the characters and situations must have communicated some emotional message that she liked. That was illustrated most vividly in several of the movies she has enjoyed during the past year. One was Darkest Hour. In that case, she did understand that it dealt with Churchill and WWII. She was able to connect with the seriousness of the events portrayed as well as the drama conveyed by the acting, visuals, and sound. The other two were documentaries, RBG and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Even without following the story, she was able to get a feeling for both Justice Ginsberg and Mr. Rogers. She easily understood that the films conveyed positive impressions of each one and liked them.

One of the things I have learned since Kate’s diagnosis is that most people think of the last stages when they hear of someone with Alzheimer’s. They don’t imagine that stage is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll be there sooner than I would like. In the meantime, I will continue to celebrate the fact that there are so many things that she can enjoy. Her intuitive abilities are still working even as her rational ones disappear.