Originally published July 8 2005
Alzheimer's and dementia patients' ability to taste and savor sweets remains intact
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Female patients in early and late stages of Alzheimer's and dementia seem to share perfect memories for food and food preparation, even from more than 70 years back.
Local television, radio and magazine personality Judi Gallagher, left, who volunteered her time to cook, prepares a batch of apple crisp for baking with Arden Courts Alzheimer's resident Genevieve Giller, right, at the Arden Courts Alzheimer's Assisted Living Facility, in Sarasota, Fla., Friday afternoon, June 3, 2005.
Giller was able to work with Gallagher through The Heart's Desire program, which grants wishes to Alzheimer's and dementia patients.
A taste for dessert and the recollection of a good life linger.
They were raised when apron-clad mothers baked apple pies from scratch, and neighbors out for a stroll could smell mouth-watering aromas coming through the windows.
For Caryl Pollard, Charlotte White and Jane Watson, that time stirs their most vivid recollections -- cooking favorite dishes for their children, packing lunches for picnics, hosting warm holiday meals.
And for these elderly women whose memories are vanishing fast, the flashbacks help add a certain sweetness to their lives.
At Arden Courts, a residential facility for Alzheimer's and dementia patients, the three reminisce together.
Disease may have muddled the details of their experiences, but one thing that remains intact is their ability to taste and savor sweets.
"I remember years and years ago, my great-Grandmother Henderson gave me a recipe at age 16 for a chocolate cake.
Her cutting sense of humor is sharp as ever, and she'll tell you bluntly about her sister Betty, who had "two left feet and two left hands" in the kitchen, and her mother, who was a "lousy cook."
Pollard became the chef of her household, and everything she learned about the culinary arts she attributes to her father's mother.
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