Posted 12/12/22
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.– Deut 6:6-9
Have you heard of ChatGPT? It is an artificial intelligence chat program that learns more and more and you can ask it questions in conversation format and it will “converse”. The consensus is that it MAY eliminate Googling for things quite quickly…and may take the search engine company along with it. It could help the lonely, could solve problems objectively (or not so), and do many, many more things, like Alexa or OK Google or Siri, but much smarterer…
Just for kicks today, I asked it to tell me a poem about dementia. Here is what it dreamed up:
As the fog rolls in, my mind goes dim
Once sharp as a knife, now dull and unclear
Memories slip away, like grains of sand
Leaving me stranded, in a far-off land.
Once I knew my name, and where I’d been
But now those days are gone, and I’m not sure where I’ve been
My loved ones try to help, but I can’t always understand
Lost in a world of confusion, with no fixed plan.
I try to hold on, to the threads of my life
But they slip through my fingers, like water and strife
I know that I’m loved, and I try to be strong
But each day it gets harder, to hold on to what’s gone.
Dementia takes its toll, with no mercy or grace
Leaving me adrift, in a lonely place
But I’m not alone, for my loved ones are near
Holding my hand, wiping away my tears.
Though my mind may forget, my heart will always know
The love that we shared, and the bond that we’ll show
I may not be the same, but I’m still here inside
Holding on to the love, that I have deep inside.
-My Computer, not Me. Probably better than my poetry….
So, will we someday soon be able to offload our brain into a computer? Will we somehow live on after we are gone? I would say no. We are more than the sum of what we say, what we think, and what we remember. We are made in the image of God and are special…much more special than a bunch of 1s and 0s could ever depict. However, poems like this give me pause…
Here is a second try at a poem by ChatGPT, but I asked it to add hope for a cure. What an amazing change:
As the fog rolls in, my mind goes dim
Once sharp as a knife, now dull and unclear
Memories slip away, like grains of sand
Leaving me stranded, in a far-off land
But hope remains, for a cure is near
A glimmer of light, in a world of fear
Researchers are working, with diligence and grace
To find a way to restore, what dementia takes
Once I knew my name, and where I’d been
But now those days are gone, and I’m not sure where I’ve been
My loved ones try to help, but I can’t always understand
Lost in a world of confusion, with no fixed plan
I try to hold on, to the threads of my life
But they slip through my fingers, like water and strife
I know that I’m loved, and I try to be strong
But each day it gets harder, to hold on to what’s gone.
Dementia takes its toll, with no mercy or grace
Leaving me adrift, in a lonely place
But I’m not alone, for my loved ones are near
Holding my hand, wiping away my tears
Though my mind may forget, my heart will always know
The love that we shared, and the bond that we’ll show
I may not be the same, but I’m still here inside
Holding on to the love, that I have deep inside.
And though the road ahead, may seem long and hard
We hold on to hope, for a cure to be found
For one day, dementia’s grip, will be loosed and unbound
And we will be free, to live and love once again.
-Try two with hope inserted, by my computer.
Amazing additions. Now I will add a elephant to the poem.
Keep in mind, this AI can actually generate and/or fix broken computer code on the fly…because it is that smart. My query broke it:
So I gave it a while and tried again after it had time to work through some physics and uber smart thinking…you know, to rest compared to thinking through dementia. She sputtered a bit and gave the elephant dementia, but there is still some interesting lines:
An elephant with dementia,
Once strong and mighty, now lost and confused.
No longer able to remember
The memories that once brought her joy.
Her mind a tangled mess,
Her thoughts no longer clear.
She wanders aimlessly,
No longer sure of who she is or where she’s been.
But there is hope for a cure,
A chance to restore her mind.
To bring back the memories
And the strength she once had, one of a kind.
So we hold on to that hope,
That one day she will be free.
Free from the fog that clouds her mind,
And able to roam wild and free once again.
-My computer again. 😉
How about a haiku about dementia?
I have done these before myself (Somewhere in Here)
Memories fade away
Lost in the fog of dementia
Hope for a cure shines
His abiding by the rules was a bit suspect, but the thought was sincere… His rhyming is sometimes good and sometimes not, but he seems always profound…
Now I shifted gears and asked for a poem with dementia and a helper puppy. Gulp…this was sweet:
A puppy with big brown eyes
Watches over his human friend
With love and devotion
As the fog of dementia
Sets in Robbing her of her past
The puppy stays by her side
He cuddles up close at night
And licks away her tears
His unconditional love
A beacon in the darkness
With wagging tail and wiggling butt
He brings a smile to her face
A reminder of the joy
That still exists in this world
Though her mind may forget
The puppy will never stray
A faithful companion
Until the very end.
-My computer again…but with a puppy.
Going to have to make it harder. I will add a duck too:
Oh my…
A puppy with big brown eyes
And a duck with feathers so fine
Watch over their human friend
With love and devotion
As the fog of dementia
Sets in, robbing her of her past
The furry and feathered friends
Stay by her side
They cuddle up close at night
And offer comfort when she’s scared
Their unconditional love
A beacon in the darkness
With wagging tails and quacking calls
They bring a smile to her face
A reminder of the joy
That still exists in this world
Though her mind may forget
The puppy and duck will never stray
Faithful companions
Until the very end.
I will add a twist. OK…I will have HER add a twist, by including Don Quixote. Surely this will vex the robot?!?!?!
Nope:
A puppy with big brown eyes
A duck with feathers so fine
And Don Quixote, the knight
Watch over their human friend
As the fog of dementia
Sets in, robbing her of her past
The unlikely trio
Stays by her side
They tilt at windmills in her dreams
And offer comfort when she’s scared
Their love and loyalty
A beacon in the darkness
With wagging tails and quacking calls
And the sound of clanging swords
They bring a smile to her face
A reminder of the joy
That still exists in this world
Though her mind may forget
The puppy, duck, and Don Quixote
Will never stray
Faithful companions Until the very end.
-My computer with me the one vexed.
I had it start fresh and write a happy poem about dementia and it did great! Here it is:
Though the fog of dementia
May cloud her mind and steal her past
There is still joy to be found
In the present moment at last
With the love of friends and family
And the companionship of a pet
Life can still be full of happiness
And the fondest memories yet
So let us celebrate each day
And find the good in all that we do
For even with dementia
There is still so much to look forward to.
-My computer, with a big Amen added by me 🙂
Friends, like the pile of 1s and 0s just said, there IS so much to look forward to. Love your loved one every day. Focus on what is left, not what is gone. Share, play music, hold hands, live life. It is worth every minute. We’ll have plenty of time later to mourn. This post may seem like an odd take on this terrible disease, but I hope you get what I am trying to say… We, as caregivers and eyewitnesses to dementia, get it. However, it is very hard to explain and when a mindless computer has a clue it gives me hope that other folks will understand this mess better soon too. I will leave you with this:
May God richly bless you this Christmas season. You are important to me and to your loved one and you are deeply loved. No computer can explain that away… 🙂
#EndALZ
Update: Only saw Mom 4 days last week and it looks like 3 this week unless I can break free this weekend. She sleeps nearly all the time and still eats, but with her eyes closed more often than not. She still sneaks an occasional word or smile in. She is and will always be a blessing.
Oh, and I named this piece “My Komputer Gets It” because Mom always loved to say “The only thing I know about a computer is it starts with a K!!”, and would give her best belly laugh. 🙂
A quick bonus:
Write a funny story about slugs and snails Christmas shopping:
“
It was the day before Christmas, and the snails and slugs were in a frenzy. They had finally realized that they had forgotten to buy presents for their loved ones!
They quickly made their way to the mall, which was a long and difficult journey for snails and slugs. But they were determined to find the perfect gifts.
At the mall, they searched high and low, but they couldn’t find anything they liked. The snails were looking for something shiny and sparkly, while the slugs were more interested in practical gifts.
As they were about to give up, they stumbled upon a store that sold everything they could have ever wanted. The snails found the most beautiful shells, and the slugs found the most comfortable mud puddles.
They quickly picked out their gifts and headed to the checkout. But as they were about to pay, the snails realized they had left their wallets at home. The slugs offered to pay, but they didn’t have enough slime.
In the end, they had to return the gifts and go home empty-handed. But they didn’t let that get them down. They spent Christmas Eve snuggling with their loved ones, and they decided that the best gift of all was spending time together.”
Not bad, Komputer, not bad…
-Mark (or is it???)
BTW…if you could donate to my little June Fundraiser, it would be greatly appreciated. I am raising money for my two favorite organizations: SeniorAge and the Alzheimer’s Association. Here are their links: LINK and LINK
4c4…Searchin’ the 4 corners for a cure… I will be doing stairs in the 4 corners of the state in as big of a venue as will let me run. 4 straight days, 9 hours per day. If I can handle it, I will shoot for a day 5 at the state capitol. 🙂 Training is rough right now, but will be MUCH easier soon…
A couple of videos about Chat GPT:
It is crazy-amazing-scary…
