Tuesday, August 09, 2005

200 Years Old and Counting

The other day I stopped in to see a woman who lives very happily in a nursing home. She is 101 years old. She walks by herself with a walker, dresses elegantly, but needs a lot of help. She is alert, but a little confused about things. "My memory comes and goes," she told me. I wasn't sure how confused or disoriented she was, so I started asking her some questions. She knew her room number, she knew her children's names and her grandchildren. She wasn't sure what the year is, or even what the month or season was. But she knew where the dining room is, how to get outside, and the girls who take care of her.. She knew her birthdate. "So how old would that make you Mrs. M?" I asked her.

"Oh," she said, very seriously, "I think I am 202."

"Well," I replied, equally seriously, "for 202, I think you are doing remarkably well."

She looked at me happily. "Am I really?" she asked me.

"Absolutely,"I told her.