Would Your Alzheimer’s Patient Know About the “Dog Days of Summer?”
July 21, 2008 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Sometimes phrases will spark memories and enthrall the Alzheimer’s patient. See if you can remember any they may have been mentioned about your patient’s childhood. These may be outdated words and phrases, but they reflect the world where your patient currently resides.
The Dog Days of Summer….this was an expression of my childhood during the lazy, hazy days of languid, humid heat and still seems to be a saying or description of this time of year from about July 3 to August 11. I recall my mom mentioning this when we were in the midst of haying and canning and the weather was hottest in the Hudson River Valley of New York State.
The term seems to go way back to mythology and the conjunction of Sirus (called the “dog star”) and the sun, which occurs in mid summer. Also, some people connect Dog Days with a hot time of year when dogs can become irritable.
“Dog Days of Summer” is the theme this week at another of my blogs, One Book Two Book.
For more information about Dog Days:
(Amazon image)
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen
