Student Question
Can you help me identify a poem about Alzheimer's disease that begins with a journey on a train?
"Imagine going on a long journey by train. As we leave the landscape looks familiar and as we progress, things begin to look different. The buildings have odd shapes and the trees don’t look quite the way you remember them. Maybe it’s a different country with different architecture and plant life. It feels a bit strange even unnerving."
Quick answer:
The poem you are referring to is likely "The Train Journey," associated with Alzheimer's disease. It is cited by Dawson, Wells, and Kline in their 1993 book Enhancing the Abilities of Persons with Alzheimer's and Related Dementias, published by Springer Publishing Co. This poem is often used in nursing education to illustrate the experience of Alzheimer's. You might find it discussed or used in university nursing programs.
I found a poem on Alzheimer's called "The Train Journey" mentioned with full text in this discussion. I don't see references for an author or publisher there, but in another link it lists the authors as Dawson, Wells, and Kline (1993) in a book called Enhancing the Abilities of Persons with Alzheimer's and Related Dementias (New York: Springer Publishing Co.)
A book called The Train Ride is also mentioned and linked here but I cannot tell if it contains the text you're looking for or not.
Sounds like the poem is used by professors within the context of nursing programs, so you might check with that department at your university. The poem is very powerful reading. I hope you're able to use it in your research project.
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