last week I was in a convenience store that sells a drink called a Frazile, sort of like a Icee. The flavor for two months is root beer float. To promote this flavor they have a poster that reads:

Have a root beer float like the one your grandmother used to make,
WHEN SHE COULD REMEMBER YOUR NAME.

The capitalization is just as they print the poster.

I find this comment very insensitive. The clerk said that many people laugh at the sign.

What do you think?

I as a caregiver find this offensive, so I can only imagine how awful this must be for anyone with AD.

Another indication of the lack of understanding of this disease.

I know that having a sense of humor is important especially when dealing with Alzheimer's and other dementias.

I do, however, find that offensive and insensitive!! It just shows how stupid some people can be!!

I am a person with EOAD and a caregiver to my Mom with AD.

Oh good grief . . . Can you imagine the way it feels, to be a grandmother with dementia and see that? There's a good chance I'd tear that poster up, if I saw it. Justified rage episode.

Unfortunately we will probably see this type of sign more frequently because the bulk of the population buys the Aricept TV image of the cute, doddering old person with A/D, has no idea of the ramifications of the disease...and...believes that Aricept is a cure.

As the caregiver for someone with A/D, I would find that sign exceedingly offensive. I would first attempt to educate the ignorant fool. Then I would ask that it be removed...and...not patronize the convenience store until it was taken down. Next...If the store was part of a franchise, I’d complain to the home office and demand that it be removed. If there are any active local chapters of the Alzheimer's Assoc., why do you contact them and attempt to get them interested in sharing their indignation with the store owner? A few loud people with signs might generate an interesting news story.

I don't find it offensive. Humor is not always accurate. It's just humor; and a little bit of the truth.

As painful as this disease is, it is not going to make it better being bitter about an attempt to make someone laugh.

Something is going to get everyone of us. The death rate for the human race is 100%. It is just a matter of time and that joke could be on the creator of the joke; and I think they probably know that.

My brother told me that there is no joke or humor without a victim. I find few cases where that isn't true.

Alan makes a good point. When a person has dementia that person is forced to accept it and joking always helps. But what of the off spring? And they are the ones being marketed! I think that this sales attempt will not be good for them

quote:

Originally posted by Alan in Colorado:
Oh good grief . . . Can you imagine the way it feels, to be a grandmother with dementia and see that? There's a good chance I'd tear that poster up, if I saw it. Justified rage episode.

"Insensitive"

Definitely!

But I think they missed an opportunity to call attention to something that's gonna affect those root-beer drinkers, don't y'all?

The AD association could have been notified, our logo and web address could have been displayed, and a portion of the proceeds could have been donated to AD Research.

Here is how I picture the ad: A huge asterisk right after that sentence, leading to what I wrote in the above paragraph.

Perhaps a mention of statistics ("every 70 seconds.....") and there you go: A VERY POWERFUL campaign to stop this disease.

But..... they "missed the boat", didn't they?

Thanks

Bill

I'd have to say that I don't find it particularly offensive. How often did we, before entering this journey, refer to forgetting something as a "senior moment" or some such thing.

That being said, I don't find the ad to be particularly humorous either. Thus it is not a terribly effective way to advertise.

Just my opinion.

My latest blog entry addresses this subject. Y'all might find it interesting. (Or not )