So, I’m up in Vancouver at my grandma’s, and even though I’m happy to be here, there are some definite lags in the conversation — Grandma’s in her own world a lot of the time, and I’m often at a loss to draw her out.
I usually turn to old photo albums. I worry that I’m boring her, though — we have the same conversations about the same photos, and even though I enjoy hearing family stories, I sometimes worry that her dementia’s not as bad as it seems & she’s just humoring me. Like maybe she thinks I’m simple.
Anyway, tonight we were looking at some pictures of her as a girl, and I asked about the dog she was holding. We’d talked about it before, but never got past its name until tonight. “Oh, Poochie ran away,” she said. “I was actually kind of relieved.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah, he gave my dad asthma, and he never behaved. I thought it would be easier. See, there was this movie about a very glamorous husband and wife who solve mysteries…”
“THE THIN MAN!” (Good thing grandma’s deaf. I really shouted).
“Yes! The Thin Man. Their dog was so well behaved.”
Anyway, I’m going to try and find a rental place that I can run over to while grandma’s napping tomorrow. Hurrah for Myrna Loy!

So, I’m up in Vancouver at my grandma’s, and even though I’m happy to be here, there are some definite lags in the conversation — Grandma’s in her own world a lot of the time, and I’m often at a loss to draw her out.

I usually turn to old photo albums. I worry that I’m boring her, though — we have the same conversations about the same photos, and even though I enjoy hearing family stories, I sometimes wonder if her dementia’s not as bad as it seems & she’s just humoring me. Like maybe she thinks I’m simple.

Anyway, tonight we were looking at some pictures of her as a girl, and I asked about the dog she was holding. We’d talked about it before, but never got past its name until tonight. “Oh, Poochie ran away,” she said. “I was actually kind of relieved.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah, he gave my dad asthma, and he never behaved. I thought it would be easier. See, there was this movie about a very glamorous husband and wife who solve mysteries…”

“THE THIN MAN!” (Good thing grandma’s deaf. I really shouted).

“Yes! The Thin Man. They had this little dog that was so well behaved.”

Anyway, I’m going to try and find a rental place that I can run over to while grandma’s napping tomorrow. Hurrah for Myrna Loy!