Understanding When An Action is Important

I often notice while working with the elderly, especially Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, that some stories are repeated over and over.  There have been times I’ve heard the stories so much that I feel that I can tell the story.

Those stories are important to the teller and we can learn lessons from the experience
Those stories are important to the teller and we can learn lessons from the experience

However, I also learn more about the person while listening to the story.  Sometimes through the retelling I can glean nuggets of insight about the person’s life.

However, I recently had a conversation with another worker that got me to thinking.  She said “when they repeat the story over and over it is really important to them.”

I realized that she had a valid point.  That incident was important to that person or made an impact on their life and/or thought process.

I realized this can also prove true when actions are repeated over and over again. After all actions speak louder than words.

What story or action is important to your loved one?