Who's The Boss?

I was walking down the hallway in the care facility where one of my clients live. Sitting in a wheelchair all alone was a little lady, so tiny she almost disappeared in her wheelchair,. She had thinning, curly hair and granny glasses. I looked at her quizzically, as if to say, "What are you doing?"

She looked at me, pointed down the hall, and said, "Waiting for the boss," and indicated the care aide who was just coming out of my client's room.

I suggested to her, "I think that maybe you're the boss."

It could seem like a small thing --one that could easily be overlooked with a kind of patronizing smile. But, what does that statement say about residents (or this one) and their feeling of being in control of their lives? About autonomy? About choice? About their relationship with the staff who are caring for them?

Maybe I am making something out of nothing, a passing comment that could be left with the woman who said it. But maybe not.