The Patient
I walked into his room, said ‘Good morning,' and lifted the shade. As the sun shined brightly into his room, he sat straight up in his bed. Smiling a toothy grin, my patient almost gasped and reached out to touch my hand with both his hands. He kissed my hand, looked right into my eyes and said, heartily, “Thank you! Thank you!”
That day, I could not shake that picture of him out of my mind. I thought to myself, when was the last time someone said good morning to him in a cheerful voice and raised the shade for him so that the sun would come into his otherwise, gloomy room? When was the last time someone spoke to him as though he counted? Or touched his hand?
He was an old man, probably close to 95 years old, one of the forgotten souls in a nursing home…the kind of person I’ve seen caretakers come to and walk away from after they have performed their perfunctory duties, without a word, as if working with a mannequin. I've admonished those same people that the elderly often have a vivid sense of kindness versus neglect. My patient was old –but he was alive –and lucid. He knew when someone came in and acknowledged him as a human being; he also knew when he was ignored..
Till today, and this happened 35 years ago, I remember vividly, the man and his response to my cheerful ‘good morning’ and to sunshine brightening his room.
That day, I could not shake that picture of him out of my mind. I thought to myself, when was the last time someone said good morning to him in a cheerful voice and raised the shade for him so that the sun would come into his otherwise, gloomy room? When was the last time someone spoke to him as though he counted? Or touched his hand?
He was an old man, probably close to 95 years old, one of the forgotten souls in a nursing home…the kind of person I’ve seen caretakers come to and walk away from after they have performed their perfunctory duties, without a word, as if working with a mannequin. I've admonished those same people that the elderly often have a vivid sense of kindness versus neglect. My patient was old –but he was alive –and lucid. He knew when someone came in and acknowledged him as a human being; he also knew when he was ignored..
Till today, and this happened 35 years ago, I remember vividly, the man and his response to my cheerful ‘good morning’ and to sunshine brightening his room.
How simple and humane it is to bring a smile to the face of another human being!
No comments:
Post a Comment