I received some feedback from a client with whom I recently concluded therapy which confirmed something I know but rarely acknowledge - the value of the space. The dedicated space each week to come into afresh or to reflect on something we discussed previously. The space into which anything and everything could be allowed to emerge, and if nothing seemed present, to share in the silence, itself a voluminous communication. The consistency afforded by the routine, of the time at which we met and the space in which we met. How these created stability, and containment from within which it was possible for us to identify the contrasting aspects of life in flux, and courageously explore their impact. Sometimes it really is good to talk. How rarely we find ourselves with an hour, or fifty minutes without agenda or obligation. My former client intimated that this might indeed be the height of self care, reflecting on the extensive benefits that were to be derived from something which initially felt to be an enormous sacrifice.
Whilst there were several places I might have been that morning, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. The practitioner from the Memory Service arrived promptly. I liked her instantly. Mum was nervous. I think I was a little, too. It's been a difficult year. "It's Friday, it's the fourteenth of December and I'm at home..." No problems there. CAMCOG, or the Cambridge Cognitive Examination is a thorough assessment tool used to assess the extent of extent of dementia, and to assess the level of cognitive impairment. The standardised measure assesses orientation, language, memory, praxis, attention, abstract thinking, perception and calculation. "Table. Apple. Penny." Three everyday items that were introduced at one point, and then referred to again later on. Again, Mum was able to recall each. I am reminded that the...
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