Marlene

Marlene can easily be mistaken for a young staff member. She is so bonded to the staff, so helpful in caring for kids, and so high functioning. She is smart, funny, strong willed, and curious. Marlene loves the color purple, so gifting her with purple items makes her day! Marlene can be guarded and slow to warm to visitors but given time to get used to their presence, she will let down her guard and warm up to certain people. When she relaxes she lets her personality out and soon she is chatty, full of questions, and wanting to try new activities. Marlene loves kites and gliders. Marlene, her mother, and her twin Marlon all suffer from the same degenerative neurological disorder. Marlon passed away in May 2008 and her mother is severely impaired and getting progressively worse. It is unclear when Marlene’s symptoms will intensify but for now she is fully functioning. Marlene is fully aware of her impending impairment and this may play a part in her hesitancy to bond to new people. The best approach with Marlene is to treat her like an adult, not come on too strong, and give her lots of opportunities and casual invitations to get involved in an activity or to join the group in conversation.