While the residents of the memory support units at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center Dedham struggle with varying degrees of memory loss, their caretakers have noticed that they still strongly remember traditions of holidays such as Passover, which began at sundown Monday, April 18. Dr. Susan Kalish, a geriatrician at HRC and a clinical instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, spoke with the Dedham Transcript via email about this remarkable trend.
Q: Why do you think Hebrew Rehabilitation Center residents who have lost their memories or can’t sometimes remember names can still remember the prayers and customs of holidays such as Passover?
A: Song and ritual have been ingrained in our being from birth, and the brain wiring that responds to these elements is much more “basic,” if you will, than the brain functions that are lost as memory loss progresses. Engagement in the prayers and ceremonies associated with Passover is both reflexive and joyful. We don’t know exactly why this is the case, but it is something we see consistently.
Q: Have you seen this effect play out in other religious traditions? Which ones, and how?
A: I haven’t had specific experience with seeing this in other religious traditions, but certainly we see it all the time with song – people who don’t even talk will start singing songs (with the right words!) that they knew from their youth, and their faces and bodies will come alive.
Q: It would seem that for family members, or caretakers such as yourself, seeing residents with memory problems being able to remember much more at Passover would be exciting, and possibly rejuvenative. Is this one of the best times of the year to be working with your patients?
A: If you surveyed a group of Jewish people about which holiday is most filled with positive family connections, memories, and rich experiences, I believe Passover would win hands down. In addition to the deeply ingrained aspects of ritual and song, it is a holiday that employs all the senses, which further reinforce and multiply the power of memory. Since one of the themes of the holiday is rebirth and spring, it is also a very optimistic and joyful season for all of us working with elders.
Interestingly, many of our elderly patients remain committed to following the dietary requirements of Passover, which include no bread or leavened products, and more or less serving matzah in every conceivable form (matzoh balls, kugel, and many other Passover foods are basically ground up matzah which is recooked). This can do a number on the GI system, which is no fun for anybody! So in this case it can be a challenging time for our patients and the caregivers, because we want to honor their traditions and lifelong food rituals, but also encourage them with ways to attend to their present health.
While the residents of the memory support units at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center Dedham struggle with varying degrees of memory loss, their caretakers have noticed that they still strongly remember traditions of holidays such as Passover, which began at sundown Monday, April 18. Dr. Susan Kalish, a geriatrician at HRC and a clinical instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, spoke with the Dedham Transcript via email about this remarkable trend.
Q: Why do you think Hebrew Rehabilitation Center residents who have lost their memories or can’t sometimes remember names can still remember the prayers and customs of holidays such as Passover?
A: Song and ritual have been ingrained in our being from birth, and the brain wiring that responds to these elements is much more “basic,” if you will, than the brain functions that are lost as memory loss progresses. Engagement in the prayers and ceremonies associated with Passover is both reflexive and joyful. We don’t know exactly why this is the case, but it is something we see consistently.
Q: Have you seen this effect play out in other religious traditions? Which ones, and how?
A: I haven’t had specific experience with seeing this in other religious traditions, but certainly we see it all the time with song – people who don’t even talk will start singing songs (with the right words!) that they knew from their youth, and their faces and bodies will come alive.
Q: It would seem that for family members, or caretakers such as yourself, seeing residents with memory problems being able to remember much more at Passover would be exciting, and possibly rejuvenative. Is this one of the best times of the year to be working with your patients?
A: If you surveyed a group of Jewish people about which holiday is most filled with positive family connections, memories, and rich experiences, I believe Passover would win hands down. In addition to the deeply ingrained aspects of ritual and song, it is a holiday that employs all the senses, which further reinforce and multiply the power of memory. Since one of the themes of the holiday is rebirth and spring, it is also a very optimistic and joyful season for all of us working with elders.
Interestingly, many of our elderly patients remain committed to following the dietary requirements of Passover, which include no bread or leavened products, and more or less serving matzah in every conceivable form (matzoh balls, kugel, and many other Passover foods are basically ground up matzah which is recooked). This can do a number on the GI system, which is no fun for anybody! So in this case it can be a challenging time for our patients and the caregivers, because we want to honor their traditions and lifelong food rituals, but also encourage them with ways to attend to their present health.
Q: I’m guessing that because of the formulaic nature of the Seder, memory loss patients tend to retain that information. Can that sort of repetition be translated into daily life?
A: Absolutely! Rituals, particularly those associated with music, chanted language (in this case the Hebrew and Aramaic of the Seder), and tactile rituals repeated over a lifetime are retained when so much memory and language expression have been lost. In much the same way, it is vital to maintain predictability and simplicity when creating a home for residents with memory loss. A routine with both predictability and use of sensory input which is not overwhelming, can be both calming and engaging at the same time.
