Jack Scott shuffles to the common room, where old music softly plays, though no one dances. He sits alone, his days blending into a monotonous routine.
Emily is new here. She sits down beside him and hums a song from her youth. Recognition ignites in Jack’s eyes. He stands, extends his hand, and they share a slow, tender dance.
“Thank you for the dance, Mrs. Scott,” Jack says as he retreats to his solitary world.
Author’s Notes:
Flash Fiction: 75 words
What is flash fiction?
On October 20th, another friend was lost to Alzheimer’s disease. His wife of 50 years, weary from the fight to help her husband hold onto remnants of his cherished memories, is faced with the finality but realizes her loss was years in the making. It’s a cruel and insidious disease that deserves more of our time, talent, and treasure to find a cure.
Alzheimer’s Disease Statistics
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia. Dementia is a broad term for a range of conditions characterized by a decline in cognitive functions such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning to the degree that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for an estimated 60–80% of cases. The Alzheimer’s Association reported that an estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2022.
Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease.
The risk of developing Alzheimer’s doubles about every five years after age 65. After age 85, the risk reaches nearly one-third.
Alzheimer’s disease is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease have increased significantly over the past two decades.
In 2021, more than 11 million family members and friends provided an estimated 16 billion hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.
Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the United States an estimated $321 billion in 2022, including both direct and indirect costs.
By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s may grow to a projected 12.7 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow, or cure the disease.
Jamison, You captured the subtlety of dementia in a lovely moment. Music made a difference in the daily life of my husband who died from dementia, This story captures that music can stir memories, but also that a warm touch can capture that love lives on in the heart.
We will all dearly miss him and remember all that he meant to so many.
Excellent, Jamison! I spent 35 years as an RN, specializing in Alzheimer’s care ~ because my grandmother was stricken with this disease in her sixties and we watched her slowly fade away until age ninety-eight.
So often, when Alzheimer’s had stripped my patients of the ability to hold a conversation, I found a “path” to them through music.
Thanks, K. We need a cure; we need it now!