STORYTIME TAPESTRY

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Special Treat ??“ Bob Shaw

July 29, 2005 

Aimee and the Nursing Home

By Bob Shaw

    We received a call from Mom Saturday. She said there were some problems, and Dad was put into a nursing home that morning. He??™d been diagnosed with Alzheimer??™s a while back, and was getting to be more than she could handle. It??™s a disease that can??™t possibly be comprehended by reading about it or being told about it. To see this monster disease, robbing someone of their thoughts, their memories, and their very life, slowly eroding them of everything they ever were, or will be, is the saddest of all things.

    We took Aimee over to see them several weeks ago, and he just fell in love with her. She sat on his lap and licked his finger tips, and went about being the sweet puppy she is. I fixed a picture of her for him to carry around with him, double sided and laminated, and to my surprise, he carried it with him every where he went. It was the first thing he packed to take to the home.

    When we got to the house Sunday morning, Mom told me what was going on, and we started getting ready to go to the Nursing Home for a visit. She suggested we leave Aimee there, but I told her it would be alright for her to go. She gave me a strange look, but decided to go along with it.

    It turned out to be quite a visit. Dad had been showing her picture to everyone, and he recognized Ronni, then Aimee as soon as they walked into the room. I talked to some of the staff to make sure it was OK to bring her in, and they said ???my gosh yes!??? Then everyone had to give her a hug and a good petting. Aimee was in Hog Heaven. She loves people, and she was soon the center of attention. Everybody wanted to pet the pretty puppy. Of course she was groomed and had her little hair bows in.

    She was quite the Lady. She didn??™t bark or try to get down, just licked the outstretched fingers, took in all the petting, and wallowed in all the praise. One little old man in a wheel chair looked at her and petted her a little bit, then got a tear in his eyes and asked his visitors, (family, I suppose,) if they??™d bring his dog in to see him. They promised they would. Then from table to table, chair to chair, everyone got to meet Aimee. And Dad followed, watching every move. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, how much of him was still there. It was hard to watch the struggle, the battle, going on in his mind, fighting to keep his dignity, his identity, his thoughts.

    They told me he looks at Aimee??™s picture every once in a while. It??™s a memory he tries to hold on to. A puppy that sits on his lap, licks his fingers, and looks at him with the love in her eyes that only a puppy can show. She??™s a special little girl. Just ask??¦everyone.

Written by Bob Shaw CapeRabbit@semo.net

Bob and Ronni live in the Cape Girardeau, Missouri area.  They'd love hearing from you and invite you to reply to their stories.