Subscribe to RSSThe Funny Side of Dementia – She’s Still Got It!
If you are a caregiver for a parent or someone with dementia who was an authority figure in your life, then you know how difficult it is to see them become childlike and totally dependent upon you. I look at my god-sister, Gladys, and remember what a strong, opinionated and self sufficient woman she used to be. Today she is a shell of her former self. That being said, I want to share something that recently occurred at her Adult Day Center.
I needed my husband Fred to accompany me to Costco so he could lift a 60 pound bag of cat litter for me. So we both went to take Gladys to day care. The nurse stopped us on the way out to tell us about an altercation between Gladys and one of their other clients. It seems like there is another elderly woman at the center who is very bossy and decided she was going to “help” Gladys with her lunch. After telling the lady several times to leave her alone, Gladys yelled at the lady, “If you don’t leave me alone I’m going to knock the hell out of you.”
It seems like the other clients were shocked at the outburst because everyone at the center thinks Gladys is “such a sweet little lady.” Fred, poor soul, was quite surprised and at a loss for words. I, on the other hand, was trying unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. My response was, “Now that’s the woman I grew up with!” I’m still laughing about this. It’s just below the surface but she’s still got it.
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Oct 8, 2008 - 08:10:03A similar circumstance occurred when I (Nichole, Glady’s niece) had her in senior care when she lived with me. Aunt Gladys loved the senior center but did not like what they would watch on television when they were waiting to be picked up in the evening. After being there for a few months, she told the people at the center that she didn’t like the vintage movies and shows that they watched. She argued that she wanted to watch the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her argument was that the movies and shows did not help them exercise their brain and were a waste of time; the Oprah Show had current events and kept them abreast of what was going in the world. She said “Isn’t that what you guys are doing, helping us keep our minds?” She would tell me this on the rides home. Well, finally they began showing Oprah a few days a week as they were waiting to be picked up. Aunt Gladys was excited and proud that she won her fight. On the rides home, she wouldn’t remember the current events that were on Oprah that day (go figure!) but she was excited about how she fought and won. Now that is the Aunt Gladys I know!
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