KEEP SMILING!!

I started to write about Larry in my last blog. Larry had to have the biggest smile I ever saw!! Even when I got the point of exasperation with him he would just smile and say, very softly, “I didn’t mean it”!!
Larry was 83 when his daughter-in-law brought him to my home. She had told me he had slight dementia and as long as he took his medicine he would be OK. She said they lived in a mobile home with two small children and it was just too much for the family. She brought him on a sunny day and when he came in the door he had a huge smile. He didn’t have many clothes with him so I called Sister Lauren for help. The daughter-in-law, Nancy, only stayed about half an hour and she was gone. She said to call if we needed anything and she would be back to visit. Where have I heard this before?? I am telling you, dear reader, I knew when she left I had a problem. She had left his medicine and the instructions for it. I discovered within two days why she didn’t want him. He was on heavy doses of Haldol which just drugged him up. It was hard to get him to do anything---even take a bath. He would take his medicine and then sit down and sleep. I did not want my people sleeping all the time. I never believed in drugging the folks just to keep everyone quiet. Larry wore depends and when he had an “accident” he would go in his room, take them off and hide the wet Depends in somebody’s drawer. This created all kinds of problems and he just didn’t seem to understand.
I called his doctor and we discussed the medicine. I told him I wanted the Hadol stopped and he agreed. Within three days you could see a huge change in Larry. He smiled all the time but he wanted to be in the kitchen with the aide. Sarah was a very pretty female and Larry just loved to be around her. She finally got him to understand there was a line in the floor and he had to stay on the other side. It was funny dear reader because all you had to do was point to the line and there was Larry with this big smile saying “I see the line”!
There was a day when Larry didn’t smile much. I had wanted new carpeting for quite some time and my dear friend, also named Larry, came to install the carpeting. Well dear reader, it was a total mess. I had tried to empty the rooms for him and everyone was very understanding except Larry. I had breakfast served on the outdoor patio and he was not going outdoors to eat!! So I fixed him a place inside. He started following my friend Larry around and was really getting in the way. Of course my friend never complained but I knew we had to do something. It was almost lunch time and Sarah came to work. She got the outside table ready and got Larry to help her. Than when everyone was outside eating (including Larry) I locked the doors so he couldn’t get it. Well, I am telling you this is the only time I ever saw him mad. He was really upset and angry so I let him in and we just tried to work around him. It took some doing and a lot of patience but we managed. I am telling you, dear reader, even Larry, the carpet man, was smiling!!! When it was all done Larry, my resident, said “I have to go take a nap now I am so tired of helping”!!!
When other people got visitors you could see Larry looking out the window and you knew he wanted to see his family. That was one of the sad times. In all the time Larry was with us, about 2 years, Nancy came to see him once a month. That was to pay his rent. . His son was “just so busy” but he sent his love!!! Than the day came Nancy said they were going to take Larry back home because he had no money left. It seems the family thought if they bought a house with his money they could all live together. I felt terrible about this and Larry didn’t understand why he had to leave. The other people really got upset and depressed because Larry was one of the family now. I heard from his doctor later that Nancy had him put back on Haldol and he was really in rough shape. He died within a year of leaving our home. The one thing I will always remember about Larry is the way his face would light up and the big smile whenever he saw Sarah!!!
It was later in the day when I got the urgent phone call about a DNR order. I will save this story for the next time gentle reader!!
Love Red