Alzhiemers to the Theater in Raleigh

No the theater doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. My mother does!

Alzheimer’s is a very debilitating disease for the person with it and the people around them. As the disease progresses it is important to keep the victim engaged with activities that a recognizable and comfortable. In my mom’s case, she has always loved the movies and enjoys having a drink and popcorn with the show. In order to make sure she gets the most out of life we take her out each Friday, without fail. We have been doing this for the last two years here and before that my brother did the same.

She is currently declining and is considered in the middle stages of the disease and moving toward the end stages. Her eyesight and hearing is starting to be impacted by the messy little knots being formed in her brain. In spite of this she always jumps at the chance to go to a movie.

It can be great if you want to see a movie for the second or third time. To her it is always the first time. Last week we went to a darling movie called “Dreamer” with Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning. This well acted, emotional movie reminded my mom of her horse. She owned a thoroughbred called “Rosie” which she used to ride to school every day. You could do that in rural Maine in those days, before the Great War, WWII.

Ah, which theaters have we discovered are best for mom giving her limitations. 

First we have a wonderful place called Raleighwood. It is located on Falls of Nuese Rd across from a private golf club. It has excellent handicap parking, which with all the other problems of 81 year great grandma, is a godsend. The theater has two screens and staggers the starting times for evening shows. One show starts at 6:30 and the next at 7:00.

Restrooms are conveniently located in the main waiting area. Which given how forgetful older folks can be has proven very convenient during emergencies.

Raleighwood is a type of dinner theater which serves a selection of drinks, entrées and desserts. Salads, pizza and hot sandwiches are the main entrees. The drinks are huge in size and come with refills. This can lead to emergencies.