HAPPY DEMENTIA

One of the nursing homes I go to has a locked down dementia unit. It connects to the nurse’s station that is located between the locked down unit and the rest of the nursing home. Only a heavy locked gate separates the patients from the station. The patients in the locked down unit need to be there because of various behavior problems and/or could not be with the rest of the population due to their disease process. Most of them are called “wandering dementia patients” because all day long they walk from one point to the next, then back again. Some walk in circles throughout the day. All have had psych consults and are on medications to help control their behavior.

Every month I have to round with the physician of my patients. I was standing in the nurse’s station while the physician was off doing something else. I looked at the heavy gate and there stood a grey haired tall lady with a huge smile on her face.

“I there,” I told her with a smile.

“Oh you are so wonderful. God bless you,” she told me as she continued to smile holding her hands up and grasping them.

“Thank you very much,” I responded. That was about the time when the physician came back into the nurse’s station. We were both standing there as she continued to look at us with the huge smile on her face and her hands grasped by her face.

“Oh you make such a lovely couple,” she smiled. I looked at the physician. We smiled at each other.

“I am the nurse practitioner and this is the physician,” I told her. I wanted to get it straight we were not “a couple.”

“Oh that is wonderful. You both are so tall. You look so good together,” she smiled with her hands by her face clasping and unclasping them over and over.

“I am the nurse practitioner and this is the physician. We are here to see patients,” I told her. I was getting the feeling she already had her mind set we were husband and wife no matter what I said and how many times I said it.

“Oh that is wonderful. You two are a God send helping people the way you do. You look so good together,” she smiled. “God bless you both,” she said as she walked away.

We had some patients in the locked down dementia unit and needed to go in there. I knew we would see our happy demented lady who married us. When I thought about it I realized it probably was better to be a happy demented lady than a unhappy yelling, screaming, and fighting dementia patient. She continued to walk from one part of the unit to the other stopping and talking to other residents. The lovely nurse practitioner and physician couple continued to see our patients throughout the day. The nurse’s thought it was hilarious.