HIS HUMOR

The hospice nurse and I went out to admit "Tony", ninety-six to our hospice program today. Tony suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and is very confused. Tony lives with his son, "Jerry", who is his caregiver.

All four of us sat in the living room to explain our program and assess Tony's needs. Tony is totally dependent with all of his Activities of Daily Living. He needs help with dressing, bathing, eating etc. Tony had worked as a director at the local university. One could see how intelligent he was by the way he was trying to figure out what was being said around him. The words he used reflected his intelligence. It has to be so difficult for him to be somewhat aware of his limitations. Tony used humor to cope.

I was impressed by Tony's humor. He was really funny and witty in a loving, sarcastic way. Tony would laugh so easily which made me laugh. When seeing me laugh, it would make Tony laugh even more. It was one special way he could still connect with another human being.

Tony gave the hospice nurse and I the gift of laughter. By receiving that gift, we were also able to return the gift of laughter to Tony. Thank you Tony for sharing your wonderful humor,.


HIS HUMOR　

He has lost so much
of his independence.
His ability to walk;
his self care; his memory.

He needs total assistance
with all of his needs.
He struggles with word finding;
trying so hard to understand.

He pretends he knows what you are saying,
using his humor to lighten the load.
He can't and won't answer you directly,
but will laugh as he answers in a humorous way.

He got a big kick out of making me laugh
as his sense of humor was amazing.
You could return the tease so easily
as he would then laugh all over again.

The nurse was asking him questions
about pain; about anxiety; about appetite.
When she asked, "Are you depressed?"
He laughed and said, "Yes. You are still here."

Later as we got up to leave,
he had one final question to ask us.
"Are you happy?"
          "Yes, because we are about to leave."

We left he and his family laughing so hard
as we walked out through their front door.
It is sad about all of his losses,
but one special gift he still holds onto is
          his wonderful sense of humor.