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Just thought I would share this. I do hospice volunteer work at a nearby nursing home. I was there the other day to visit two of my patients. I came across one of my "Girlfriends" , as my wife refers to them, in her wheelchair talking to another lady in a wheel chair. Both have advanced dementia but they were chatting away in word salad. It went something like this:

First Lady
Well if they do that again my painting is really bad, that young girl better watch herself.........

Second Lady
I like the Swiss steak better, my husband won't eat the strip, so......the cat ran off my girl liked to never got her and oh boy, this weather, I just don't know......

And this went on and on. They were having a ball, sort of like two little girls playing tea party. They were clearly reliving some of their past selves, having important conversation and being social.

I sat with them for awhile and tried to enter the conversation a couple times only to get annoyed looks from them. This was clearly a private conversation. So I went down the hall and visited another lady for awhile.

When I came back through later, they were both sound asleep with their wheelchairs almost touching. Socializing does wear one out.....

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I think their hearing is about average for that age. They seem to understand me a bit if I speak very loud and gesture a lot. One of my ladies will only put up with me for a few minutes, then she'll say in an exasperated tone, "Well Then. That's about it!". So I move on down the road.

I ask one of the staff if she had placed the two together. She said no, they will wiggle their wheel chairs around so they can "Chat". I don't think they understand a thing that either says but they truly enjoy going through the motions of socializing.
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So sweet. Thx for sharing!
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Windy, any chance those sweet dear women having hearing issues? I hear conversations like that between my Dad and Mom as she misunderstands what Dad is saying because of her hearing [still sharp as a tack].... it can be comical at time.
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Love it!! Thank you for sharing this lovely episode between those two ladies!!
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This is cute, touching and emotional. It's interesting that they found their own mode of communication which only they understand - the mind has ways of coping that we'll probably never understand.
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Windy ridge!! What a beautiful story. Be sure to tuck in your angel wings when you sit down. I'd hate them to get wrinkled.
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RIWL (roll in wheelchair laughing)
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