When I was 14 years old, my grandfather had a stroke. After a few months, he was able to walk to the front gate of his yard and get out, which was dangerous for him and my grandmother. My father put a lock and chain around the gate and a big, heavy fence post. Every day for months, my last memory of him is the horrible mixture of distress, fear, and confusion on his face. Each time I saw him for months he was shaking the whole gate as hard as his endurance could allow, until the post was splintering and had to be replaced. When he saw me, he always pointed to the chain mumbling a plea to me to remove it. I knew what his problem was, but I also knew that letting him out of the yard was not the solution. No one should end their life that way and no one should have those last memories of their loved ones.
There had to be a better way. Thus began my journey as an occupational therapist and the development of the Allen Cognitive Levels along with the Allen Cognitive Disability Model.