Hi, my name is Ben...Yes, I know who I am today

though I may not know who you are, or be able to find my way.

I am a gentle man, most loving caring and kind

You may not realize this as I appear quite stubborn most of the time.

Forgive me for kicking, biting, hitting and swearing at you

I mean you no harm for I know not what I do.

Approach me gently and ask me softly to sit down

And each time you look at me...smile, please don't frown.

Don't think of me as gross or dirty when I drool or drop food on the floor.

I have no control over my body, no control at all anymore.

I don't really understand where I am or how I got here;

Why I can't leave when I want, or why I am tied to this chair.

Why others must bathe and shave me and help me to care for me,

Why I must take these medicines that make me feel so weak.

Why these clothes I wear don't really feel like mine,

And most especially...why they feel so wet from time to time.

Why I can't sleep in my own bed with the cozy quilt and pillow

Why this curtain is hung around my bed, and who is this other fellow?

Why I am here with all these elderly folks when I am in my prime

In my heart, I am still young yet I feel this body has aged with time.

I try and try most every day though I can't walk or stand.

Thank you for catching me with your kind and loving hands.

I don't understand why I fall to the floor

Or why an alarm goes off each time I push on the door.

My mind tells me that I can walk yet my legs let me fall

I recall someone saying "Alzheimer's" controls my life and I have no control at all.

I am trapped in this body and mind that doesn't work right anymore

My hands and legs now tremble, not steady as before

So, please be patient and understanding for I am helpless you see

Remember me in your Prayers, and Pray God will be merciful with me.

....Freda Stephenson, 1998

Thank you for supporting the Alzheimer's Association, Georgia Chapter