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October 9, 2024
On Friday Lulu had her first visit as a therapy dog to the Senior Living Community located about a mile from our home.
The community is called The Lodge at Historic Lewes and offers three levels of care: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care.
Lulu was selected to visit the residents in memory care on the first and third Friday of each month.
Since the weather last Friday was warm and sunny, we met the residents on the outdoor patio where they were enjoying the late summer day.
There were about eight residents on the patio and some were taking naps after a trip to a local restaurant earlier in the day.
Several others were seated on outdoor chairs and couches under a green canopy and that is where Lulu and I sat down.
I introduced Lulu to each resident and asked them their names and whether they wanted to pet Lulu or give her a treat.
The residents we met with ranged from non-speaking/non-verbal to conversational and we enjoyed meeting each one.
I tried to make sure to pay attention to each one and speak to them even if they weren't able to speak to me.
After about 80 minutes it was time to wrap things up and head home.
As I went around the group I thanked each resident for their time and repeated their name to make sure I had them memorized.
All was going well until I thanked the last resident "Donna" for her time.
She looked at me - and with a twinkle in her eye she responded:
"My name is Helen dear. But don't worry about it. This is memory care and you are welcome to join us here."
I was not expecting that.
All I could do was laugh and promise her that I would never get her name wrong again.
Helen's response was also a gentle, playful reminder that in memory care, names and details can sometimes blur, and that s perfectly okay.
Her sense of humor highlighted the resilience and spirit that still shines through, sometimes when or where you might least expect it.
