Monthly Archives: August 2005

“Take me to the hospital.  I can’t walk.”

“We have been having lot of fun with telephone.  Everybody wants to try it out…He is an expert…Bye, Heather.”

“What are you all here for?”

(Heather:  Spen, Doug and I are here for your quarterly meeting for you.  Every resident here meets with the staff every three months.)

(Spencer:  Vaughn and I were in a tractor pull.  Guess who won?)

“You’re the oldest, so maybe you ought to win.”

(Spencer:  Vaughn won!)

(laughter)

“I’m so tired, I can’t think.”

“Poke him, so I’ll know I’m taking another swallow.”

(Crystal had just brought in a Starbuck for Mother and I and the above comment was Mother’s way of asking Doug if he wanted some of the Starbucks.  Again, Audrey had difficulty expressing the correct words.)

(Audrey’s eyesight was not good. Apparently, she may have been seeing double.  When she saw Douglas, she said:

“Which one are you? (as she turned her head slightly from side to side)

(Date not recorded on above observation.)

“I was singing, and all of a sudden, I stopped.  Then I was singing sad, and I don’t know why. I don’t want to cry, and cause all that trouble.”

“Sit down and stay.”

” Are you hungry?”

“I have a broken heart.”

(Mother would or could not explain why.)

(Heather:  Mother, what are you thinking?)

“How we can get along?  Well, I want to stay together.  I don’t want to be yanked away.”

(Heather:  Mother, the staff will not take you away from your company.  They like you to have visitors here.  They will not tell me to leave.)

“Yves [a certified nurses aide at Kent Regency], he is going to give me a book.  I think that is what he said.”

“Nathanael Greene.  He led us to victory.”

“I have no thoughts.”

(After seeing Claudette, a Black activities staff member at Kent, walk down the hall)

“I was trying to think of how much I’d be worth if they tried to sell me.  At least $100.00 if I were a slave.”

(This conversation reminded me of my question to Mother recorded in the first printing of Glimpses of the Past: Morning Conversations with Audrey. I asked her what did she regret the most in her life and she responded, “I regret that I never had a Black friend”. Therefore, I spoke with Claudette about this and whenever we would see Claudette, I would say softly to Mother “here is Claudette your Black friend”. Mother always was happy to see Claudette, a wonderful, caring staff person in Senior Activities Department at Kent .)

“I’ve got no thoughts, but what are you saying?”

(Heather: Do you like it here at Kent?)

“Yes”.

(Heather:  What do you like about it?”)

“It’s peaceful.  It’s quiet and nobody fighting with everybody else.  Everybody seems to be sensible.”

(Heather:  What do you like best about your room?)

(Looking up toward the framed hat box cover with a stylist shoe that Deardra put on the wall by Mother’s bed) “Elegance” Mother read.

(Heather:  Mother,  I’m trying to call Deardra to tell her that you liked her choice of decor, but she’s not home.)

“Well, I’m home.  You can call me.”

(Heather:  A penny for your thoughts?)

“This blue pillow.  I wonder how much this is.  Do you consider this whole building yours?”

(Heather:  Do you consider this your home?)

“No, because I don’t own it”.

(Heather:  But you rent it? Do you like it here? [Audrey gives a neutral response.]

“I wonder how…(end of thought) Do you own this house?”

(Heather:  Everything on this side of the room is yours (pointing to the corner, window).