Himashi at the pond 

Can very young kids and Alzheimer patients communicate? Does it matter if they speak different languages?  The answers are ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Himashi is a 2 year old little girl who is the daughter of Chaminda, the caretaker of my house down south, and his wife Madu.  Their house and mine share the same land.  You would think that this might be a bit crowded but actually we all get on and can ignore each other or interact – whichever is more appropriate at the time. 

Our relationship has improved dramatically since my mum arrived. Now Himashi joins my mum after breakfast and they have a great time doing jigsaws, building blocks, putting anything together, mum rabbitting away in English and Himashi rabbiting away in Sinhala. Madu, Himashi's mum, also joins the table and with my limited Sinhala and her limited English we fill in any gaps but there aren’t usually many.  When my mum is inside the house because the porch is too hot in the afternoon to sit out on, Himashi can be seen peering in the window or hovering at the door just waiting to be invited in.

They both operate on the same kinaesthetic level. A simple jigsaw is a challenge to both of them and both delight in their completion.  They also love colours – be it in jigsaws, balloons, flowers, colouring books, building blocks. They both love interaction – doesn’t need to be meaningful, playful is fine. They both like music; Himashi sings a mean 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' in English which is quite an accomplishment for a 2 year old in a foreign language.

They share the intimate and interactive world of their garden and its inhabitants. Molly, Sandy and Crazy, the names of my three dogs, are the same in English and Sinhala. Their antics are easily understood in any language. Mum and Himashi are both familiar with the morning ritual of Molly maintenance. Molly, who for a dog is ancient at 14 years old and has a failing kidney, is first given her syrup to settle her stomach, squirted into her mouth using a syringe, then given her pill hidden in a chunk of Keels chicken meat (will she or won't she manage to eat it without eating the pill is the daily question), then her Chaminda-cooked chicken meat mixed with rice to try and get her to put on weight – again will she/won't she eat it all. Meanwhile the other two dogs, Sandy and Crazy, watch as the food is cooked and Molly does or does not eat it – if she doesn't they get the leftovers (they get fed later in the day as both are overweight and are on a light diet apart from Molly’s leftovers).

Often Madu puts fruit and rice out for the birds. Himashi and mum sit and watch the tableau of animals and birds all competing for the food on the bird table. The monkeys who visit usually morning and evening can be pointed at and laughed at by both. Will one be brave enough to climb down the jambu tree, grab the wire holding the bird table usually filled with fruit and rice with one hand and with another swipe the juicy papaya and disappear up the tree, much to the annoyance of the birds and squirrels who could have lasted all day on it. The squirrels or as mum calls them “wriggly things” that run up and down trees, the telephone wires, the wall, the bird bath and bird table provide hours of amusement for both. The birds and their bird calls can be imitated by both.

I can go off shopping safe in the knowledge that mum will enjoy an hour or so of sitting at the table on the porch interacting with Himashi and her mum. The benefits to both sides are immense. Himashi’s English is improving – her vocabulary is growing and her ability to count from one to ten and say some of the English alphabet is tremendous.  What does my mum get out it? An excuse to play with building blocks and jigsaws, an excuse to interact and laugh. A chance to be with someone who does not focus on her inabilities but works albeit unknowingly on her capacity for humour and life.