Writing inspires wellness at Essex Center

ELIZABETHTOWN | A glad happenstance at Essex Center has fueled imagination, launched a Story Club and cast a bright outlook on life: past and present and future. Terry Dupuis, 69, lives at the senior care center with Parkinson's disease and other health concerns. He's been here for nearly a year. In that time, he met fellow resident Pamela Dadlow, 71, who has lived here for two years, working through a different set of heath challenges. Their conversations blended into a kinetic kind of creative energy. And for the past several months, they've written a series of short stories together: Stories drawn from Terry's imagination, his life, imagination and memories, filtered through Pamela's ability to get them down neatly on paper. "Pam has cancer, and I have Parkinson's. I shake too much," Terry said in a recent interview. "So, I asked Pam if she could help me on a story, and she did. I wake up every morning with another story in my head. I drive Pam nuts, because we're always looking for a quiet place to write." The pair settles down for a quiet conversation, words murmured traveling between them onto paper. "He asked one day if I would help, and I said sure. It's a benefit for me, because I keep busy," Pam said. "And I love working with Terry." The first story they produced is called The Three Trees. Neither one was a writer before this happy coincidence, though Terry had written a book of poetry and prose. The creative process for him started with a mishap. "I fell and I hit my frontal lobe pretty hard. I had a concussion out of it. It was shortly after that I was able to write stuff. But I couldn't live without Pam right now. She writes my stories as I tell them. Pam is the best way to help me with the Parkinson's and everything else. I've never been so available as I am now with Pam. She and I tell each other we can do it." And they do. The shared act of writing has fostered a sense of purpose and well-being for both elders. Asked if writing is beneficial to their wellness, they answered in unison: "Yes, definitely." "I think it is having a good impact on my health. I had a very good report on my latest CAT scan, and everything is on hold. I was really pleased with that. It's breast cancer," Pam said. For Terry, the collection is taking on its own life. They don't have a title for the compilation. But it might involve the word "dream." "There's a dream we're working on," Terry said. "We're going to put all our stories together and say 'dream'. We thought if we could write these down and make people happy — if just one person got something out of our stories — I'd be tickled pink. "Beth has been helping us and her assistant has been helping," Terry said with appreciation. At Essex Center, Recreation Director Beth McLaughlin started reading the work, watching it grow and sharing some with other residents and staff. "These two are in a nursing home facility and they do more here than many who are at home alone. Both are terminally ill. Both are spending their days trying to inspire others by their work." Inspiration does come with the community aspect of life in a nursing home, Beth added. "Once a month we have the Resident Council Meeting, where residents give voice to what they would like to do. We are going to present the stories as a Story Club, like a nook club, open for residents who would like to participate." Maybe the most important part of project goes beyond words set to pages. "Between Pam, me and Beth, I'd like to say thank you for your time," Terry said. "We would like to inspire other people in our position. If they can enjoy it for one moment, maybe they can turn around write something that will help someone else." There are 27 Dupuis via Dadlow stories to date. They range in genre from fantasy to prose, from romance to science fiction. "We do a little of everything," Terry said. "These guys don't stop," Beth said. The Three Trees It all started with the three trees in the woods. There were 2 big giant trees and one small tree. The 2 big trees had beautiful leaves. They blocked the sunlight from the little tree. None of the animals, squirrels or chipmunks wanted to play in the little tree, which made him very sad. As the seasons were changing, summer turned to fall. The animals were finishing their nests. The first big snowfall of the season came quickly. The 2 big trees were hit very hard by the storm. Branches were broken from the big trees and some of the animals homes were destroyed. The little tree faced the storm and sustained no damage. As winter left and spring arrived, the little tree grew stronger. All the animals wanted to move into the little tree. The big trees did not pick on the little tree any more. The end.

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Writing inspires wellness at Essex Center

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