March 1st, day 1 of my month-’o'-blogging.
March came in gray and damp and chilly here in Southern Wisconsin. Yesterday morning, it was clear and sunny and unseasonably warm. A strong south wind pushed fluffy clouds through the sky and made me feel like spring was just around the corner. My walk to work was invigorating. By mid-afternoon it was cloudy and alternately raining, snowing and sleeting. Still, it is March, and spring will come!
The cafe where I work has a wide range of clientele, and we get a fair number of senior citizens. Today a woman came in with family members, and it was clear she suffered from dementia– she couldn’t even remember what she wanted long enough to order for herself. We get a fair number of customers like this. There is another woman, a pretty regular customer, who usually doesn’t remember what she ordered– it’s often a surprise to her!. She sometimes forgets to pay, other times she pays but forgets that she did. The staff is always careful to let each other know when she’s paid so she doesn’t end up paying twice.
Seeing people with dementia makes me really think. We get the occasional customer who is clearly on his or her own, and I worry for them. Most of the people have family or caregivers, but I think about how hard it is for the caregivers.
I seem to be noticing a lot more of this. I don’t know if I’ve just become more aware, or if people are just starting to feel more comfortable bringing their loved one out in public (which is wonderful), or if there are just more people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
I’m glad your cafe looks after those old folks well. My mother has early Alzheimer’s and though initially it was disturbing to hear “you order for me”, we have gotten used to ordering for her.
Thanks for reading! I can imagine that was disturbing, until you got used to the new “normal”. I knew dementia caused memory problems, of course, but the extent and pervasiveness has been a surprise to me.
I love your writing, thank you for describing your experience. I wonder sometimes if I do a good job of relating to the old folks, I’ve become much more aware of that and blogs like yours help those like me who don’t live with it every day. And yes, our cafe does look after people– the benefits of small town life, I think. People look out for each other.
Thank you. I enjoy your writing too, you’re observant, sensitive and kind. Have a good weekend!