The Fading Memories of Home

Have you ever returned from a vacation and you just can’t wait to get home? The smell of your pillow and diving back into your own bed? Or maybe home is the smell of fresh baked cookies or a loaf of bread. Home can also be a dwelling. If we live in a big city, home may be in a tall tower with the sound of noisy cars and the bustling of people down below. Home in the suburbs could be in a two-story house on a tree-lined street, with a neighbourhood full of friends. While in the country, home may be a sprawling yard with lots of space to roam free. Then there are homes around the world - a villa by the sea, a thatched roof Honai in Indonesia, or an ancient cave house in Tunisia. Beyond the structure, a home includes the smells, sounds, sights and tastes. Home is our family and friends and even our memories: birthday parties, tearing into presents on Christmas morning and cuddling with family on movie night. Now, what if we lost our home to a wildfire, raging storms, or a flood? Imagine what would happen if our memories were all wiped away in an instant. Or what if suddenly one day, all of those memories of home began F-A-D-I-N-G away, like a fog or a haze that builds in your mind and never clears away? Well, Alzheimer's is a disease that may happen to someone as they age. It is a progressive brain disorder that takes away your memory. Imagine not remembering where you put your lunch pail, or forgetting the name of your best friend. Better yet, what if you put the class soccer ball in the teacher’s refrigerator? Now, you might think that’s comical, but it is no joke for people with Alzheimer’s. This disease takes away your memory and makes you do unusual things until eventually, you can’t do simple things like peeling an orange or getting dressed by yourself. And so what does this have to do with home? Well, many years ago my Nonna came to Canada from Italy to build a life and a home for her family, but now she has Alzheimer’s, and she really doesn’t know it. Not long ago, she would tell us about her life on the farm as a young child in Italy with the donkeys, but now this disease has robbed her of those memories. Her customs and traditions have been erased and replaced with confusion, frustration and sometimes fear. Her memories of home are now gone. Sadly, she is now in a long term care residence. It is safe, but it is not her home as we once knew it to be. And so this is why home is so important. Whether your home is a mansion or a humble place in the countryside, we must always hold onto the memories of home - it is a place to cherish, FOREVER, however long that may be.