Out of the Mouths of Grandma's!

In the nursing home, I love the witty comments that so many of our patients say! These moments often help compensate for some of the sadness that comes from the job, ie in working with people who are often going through one of the hardest times in their lives due to the plethora of challenges that come with aging such as severe illness, disability, and so on.

Recently a lady in her late 80s said something quite funny! I had brought this patient into the therapy room. Nearby was a gentleman who was also receiving his therapy.

My patient, a lady in the early stages of dementia, told me she knew the man and that she had known him for a long time. And he seemed to recognize her! A brief conversation about where they might hav crossed paths ensued. However, as the man also appeared to have some memory challenges, I could not verify whether or not they truly knew each other. My gut tells me that their is a strong possibility that they might have just thought that they knew each other, for instance perhaps they resembled someone they had previously known. Anyway, whether or not they actually knew each other is beside the point.

Then this sweet lady abruptly asked me in a soft whisper voice to help move her via her wheelchair to another location in the room. We got settled into the new location, and before I could even inquire as to why she wanted to move, this lady answered my unspoken question.
She told me the man is nice but that she "didn't want him to think she was chasing him!"

It is so fun to experience these common bonds as women across the decades. For I too sometimes worry that someone might think I like him. Yes I would love to have a guy to love and to be loved by him. However, having been hurt enough in the past, I recognize the need to be cautious in any endeavor pertaining to the heart. Like my patient, even if I want to chase someone, I don't know that I want him to think I'm doing so!