Am I 100?

I was seeing a patient this week that I have had some fun with. This is not going to be one of those really heart-wrenching tales to read this week. This is just one of those sessions that I like to facilitate.

The patient is 100 years old and has dementia. Unlike a lot of patients under those circumstances, however, she is very cheerful and is able to carry a conversation pretty well. The first time I met her, she said, "How old am I?" I honestly didn't know, so I told her so. She said, "Am I 100?" Again, I replied that I don't know. "Well, I sure feel like it!" was her reply. It was very funny. This last session, she agreed to a music therapy session, but said, "I'm not sure what to do for you, though." I told her that I just wanted to share some music with her, but if she wanted to sing with me even just relax with her eyes closed, that was okay. She only sang one one song, but was able to remember all the lyrics to "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."

A majority of my clients are similar to this. Hospice care is not always about big, world-shattering emotional events. A majority of the time, this is a normal thing. The people we see are just that. People. People can be goofy, serious, angry, happy, sad, and sometimes just sleepy. People are almost always the same people they were before they were on hospice care. A diagnosis or prognosis does not start when the medical tests get back. It starts long before, when they can still be themselves. It continues throughout the rest of their life. In the best case scenario, people can remain themselves until the end. That's what I'm trying to help them do.