Masayo Emke takes a piece of origami paper and begins folding a crane. With a few quick folds, a three dimensional bird pops out of a flat piece of paper. Then, Masayo tries another pattern, this time a woman’s kimono. After a few false starts, Masayo scratches her head. “I did this when I was little girl,” she said, “At my age, I don’t remember a lot of things.”
What the 78 year old does remember is who she called her “Yankee Doodle,” her late husband, Larry Emke. Masayo married an American GI who was stationed in her hometown of Sendai, Japan. At first, her parents resisted the idea of their daughter marrying an American, but after a two-year engagement, they finally said yes, saying, “You know everything you want; if you want it, go get it.”
In 2004, her husband died from a brain aneurysm, and since then, her memory has deteriorated. She now lives in Atria Senior Care Center in Elizabethtown. Atria has the facilities and staff she needs for her dementia, and also helps with a bigger problem: loneliness.
Her husband had always been Masayo’s connection to the United States. When she first moved to here, Larry was the only person she could talk to, because he spoke Japanese. Now, Masayo spends time regaining a connection to her Japanese culture.
For Masayo, almost everything is strange. She’s no longer in the home she lived in for most of her life, and no longer has the daily connection to family. With dementia, she can no longer remember recent events. Small changes can be frustrating and confusing. To anchor herself during this unstable part of her life, Masayo has found comfort in the habits and hobbies from her first 22 years.
Today, Masayo folds origami, reads Japanese books, and participates in group activities. According to Tammy Davis, Engaged Living Coordinator of Atria, Masayo spends a lot of time in her room, but when she joins the group is one of the more talkative.
“Everyone is very nice,” Masayo said, adding that even in the group, she sometimes feels alone. She takes out another piece of paper and begins to fold.
