“I’m sorry, Rita, I can’t breathe,” I said when she paused for a moment in recounting her story. “I have to go blow my nose.” “Yes, I can hear that. It’s okay,” she said, reassuringly. In the many months I’d been seeing her, this type of interruption had never before occurred. Her movements painfully crippled … Read more
It was around Easter time one year when the following exchange took place: “Hand me my peeps,” Isabelle commanded from her geri-recliner. She pointed to something behind me. I turned and saw a package of yellow baby-chick-shaped marshmallows on her tray table. The word “Peeps” was written on the front of the box. I handed … Read more
Stella had been in the nursing home several years before anyone had thought to refer her to the psychologist. She sat in her room reading her bible all day, emerging only for showers. “Why don’t you try some of the activities?” I asked her. “They have lots of good stuff here — even church services,” … Read more
“I wish my boys weren’t so busy,” Greta commented. “I’d really like to get some new dresses and I have no one to take me.” Greta’s boys were always “busy.” There were two names listed on the face sheet of her chart, but I’d never seen them or met anyone at the nursing home who … Read more
“It’s not right,” Carlos complained. “That son of mine isn’t telling me what’s going on with my money.” “You’re worried about your finances?” Carlos had been anxious and irritable for most of the three months since his admission to the nursing home. “Yes!” He pounded one fist into another. “I know how to take care … Read more
James Hawkins, III liked to sit in the lobby drinking tea and watching the passersby. At 93, he spoke about his well-traveled childhood, his Ivy League education, and a lost love and penchant for liquor that had led to the life of a bachelor. He confessed his virginity, and then later on, another confession: “I’m … Read more
Viola’s face was beet red, and she was hoarse from shouting. “How can they do this to me? I’ve been in this room for months and now they want me to move?!” “I know, you’ve gotten used to it here,” I tried to explain. “But this is the short-term floor and you’re not short-term anymore.” … Read more
I’ve been sick almost a week. Nothing major, but I’ve had to stay home from work. Completing everyday tasks has felt like swimming through jello, and once I’ve finished them I’ve had to lie down to rest. My lack of productivity has been incredibly frustrating. It would be easy to fall into a depression. And … Read more
“My aide treats me like I’m an idiot,” Katrina typed to me on her talking computer. “What do you mean?” “She thinks I don’t know what’s going on!” Her eyes radiated her emotional pain. “She’s a bitch!” A series of strokes had stolen Katrina’s ability to speak, leaving her a silent observer of her surroundings … Read more
“I never say goodbye,” Mr. O’Hara told me, “because that’s what my mother said when she left me as a child. Then she died and I never saw her again.” At 91, Mr. O’Hara was slim and getting slimmer. He began our next session as usual, discussing the procedures he was receiving from the doctors … Read more