Man stages proposal with girlfriend to give great-grandma with dementia a fleeting moment of joy
The girlfriend, who is aware of this plan, plays along and inquires why she was called into the room.
Dementia is one of the most heartbreaking illnesses that not only affects the person who has been diagnosed with it, but also their loved ones, who will have to watch their favorite person's memories fade away right in front of them. When a young man's great-grandmother began suffering from dementia, he decided to bring joy to her heart by faking a proposal to his girlfriend while the old lady was still lucid. Although the original TikTok video posted by the girlfriend, @miabaker444, was deleted, it was shared by u/chespiota on Reddit on December 10 and has received over 22,000 upvotes from users so far.
In the video posted, the young man calls his girlfriend into the room where his great-grandmother is seated. The girlfriend, who is aware of this plan, plays along and inquires why she was called into the room. The man then goes down on one knee to "propose" to his girlfriend, who acts surprised, while his great-grandmother watches on, amused and thrilled. The newly engaged woman shows off her ring to the elderly grandmother, who looks upon in shock and surprise. She seems awestruck watching her great-grandson and his "fiancée" embrace each other.
Guy fake proposes to his girlfriend so that his great grandmother with dementia could still witness it while she’s still lucid
byu/chespiotta inMadeMeSmile
A 2016 study by BMC Geriatrics found that caring for someone with dementia is strongly linked to psychological stress and poorer physical health. The study noted that diverse interventions, including psychosocial, psychoeducational, technical, therapy-based, support group, and multicomponent programs, showed benefits for both caregivers and people with dementia. While watching his great-grandmother suffer the heartbreaking illness could be painful, his decision to turn it into a positive moment for his granny makes it a heartwarming gesture.
Soon after the video went viral, many users shared their thoughts. u/pemberleypearls wrote, "Hopefully they were already engaged and he just did it again for his grandmother." u/charlie2135 commented, "Watching my MIL wither away makes this even more heartbreaking. She loves me as much as her own son. The wife says even more." u/lesterholtgroupie shared, "My sister and her fiancé got married like 3 weeks after getting engaged just so my grandmother could see her married. They’re in it for the long haul; they’re having a big wedding in about two years, but for now, they’re happy having her there to see it. 10 people came, and it was perfect. My grandma was so happy." u/Under_Dead_Starlight shared, "Regardless of staged or anything else, f**k dementia. It's a really cruel thing and is hard for everyone involved."
Just as this grandson found a way to make his great-grandmother feel included in a moment she might not remember later, another young woman did something equally thoughtful for her own dementia-stricken grandma. Sabrina Corrin Moore shared a touching TikTok about her grandmother, who often forgets birthdays and gifts due to dementia. To make sure her grandmother didn't feel left out or guilty, Moore secretly bought a birthday gift for herself on her grandma’s behalf. Wanting to spare her grandmother the disappointment of forgetting a gift, Moore told her she "saw the present in the other room," letting her believe she had already given it.
Acts like these breathe life into patients, especially as their brain begins to stop cooperating with reality. This is when their beloved must step up most, and bring a semblance of normalcy into their lives, just as these striking indivi
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