Husband & Wife in the Chute

New additions to mom's wing, since Lilian died and Witch went to the acute care infirmary. Their departure left two rooms open, and a man and his wife are living in them. I guess it doesn't make sense to try to put them together into one room - they need too much personal care from the aides.

The man is pretty gone - a vacant stare, but when spoken to, he makes eye contact, smiles, and says hello. The woman is in that terrible stage of knowing something is wrong with her but not knowing what it is. When I'm there sitting in the social circle with mom and the Activities Lady and the other dementia residents, usually after lunch, the new lady comes out of her room. She's crying. Every day. She says, "I don't know where I am. I don't know who I am." She keeps crying.

The Activities Lady goes to her, sits next to her, and takes her hand. She talks softly, until the crying stops. It's really sad, but none of the other ladies - including mom - seem to notice this is going on.

The new lady, when she feels better, gets up and goes into her husband's room for a while. Their rooms are right next to each other. I haven't seen the husband for a while - he's the only man in the wing at this point.

Mom's recovering from a nasty cough with the help of antibiotics. Her mood is better too, but she doesn't know where she is either. She asks every time I visit, "How did you know how to find me?" I always point to my head and say, "I'm very smart." She laughs. Dementia sucks.