I was out with a bunch of friends from my covenant group last night and we were telling funny nursing home stories.
Nursing home stories?!? Yep. My theory is that when you are there to visit a relative (in my case, my grandma), you have to look at things with a sense of humor or you'll go into a deep depression.
Mary had a good story, which I hope she'll tell in the comments section.
Here's mine:
About 5 years ago, my parents and siblings (one, the other, or both) would go to visit my grandma in the common room of her wing of the nursing home. She was still pretty with it and mobile, so we'd sit out there to chat. There were always other residents around to distract us when the conversation hit a lull.
One visit, a gentleman in a wheelchair kept slowly creeping towards the down ramp. When he hit the top, he'd lift his feet and "WEEEEEEEE" go gliding down. The nurse said he did that a lot.
The same afternoon, there was a woman who spilled her juice and fled the scene so she wouldn't get busted.
While all of this was going on, the nice Recreation Lady had a book of United States Trivia and asked questions from it. My grandma listened politely and tried to answer the ones she knew. Another man in a wheelchair (not the Ramp Guy), kept saying, in a deep gravelly voice, "Who. The. Hell. Cares.?" He also kept trying to take off his shoes and pants.
Now, as I said above, you might thing this is incredibly depressing, if you think seriously enough, but for someone visiting who is uncomfortable in their setting, it created quite the Sunday afternoon!
Movie of the Day: The Nutty Professor.
8 comments:
Grandma had a knack for going into the nursing home when the rest of the family was on vacation, so I got to visit by myself. On one such visit, a woman came up to me and said "Please, I need your help. How do I get to Brooklyn." Hmmm.
Grandma had a knack for going into the nursing home when the rest of the family was on vacation, so I got to visit by myself. On one such visit, a woman came up to me and said "Please, I need your help. How do I get to Brooklyn." Hmmm.
Those are all funny. And sweet, I love the guy going weeee down the ramp.
Best visual moment though, is the woman "fleeing" the scene, especially since I am picturing her with her walker and moving very very slowly.
Great post Becca (and Sara).
Thanks, Alex!
Laugh out loud!
When I visited my older relatives I was sad. But now I take the childrens' choir from my church (K-3)to a local nursing home a couple of times per year and now I look for the funny stuff, too. Some of those older folks have a sly and ironic sense of humor - the flesh may be weak, but the spirit is still a smartass!
Another story was when my step-grandfather was sick with a brain tumor. I'm not sure where the tumor was, but it made him easier to be around. Any way, my dad was helping him shave and when he was done, my grandma gave him a kiss. Well, he thought my dad had kissed him on the lips! He was not happy!
Was it "weeee!" or "whee!?"
Great post. Funny AND poignant.
My most favorite nursing home memory: Both my parents ended up in a nursing home. When Dad was very, very sick and couldn't breathe well and couldn't talk, and I was there from Minnesota to visit, I took Mom in her wheel chair over by Daddy's bed and had her take his hand. He looked at her with the most loving eyes I've ever seen and he got the biggest grin on him that I've ever seen...he was so happy knowing that she was by his side and he was holding her hand. I will never, ever forget the smile on his face and the look of love he had, as sick as he was.
It confirmed what I always knew, my parents sure did love each other, right up to the end.
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