lost, confused or misunderstood, the lack of direction..

Whether the lonely person feels lost, confused or misunderstood, the lack of direction verifies the state of loneliness that they are experiencing.

"Being alone creates loneliness. My wife passed away; loneliness is also a confusion of my emotion without direction."

"It is different to lose someone (her husband). Confusion hitsme ver much. I am stuck and need direction."

"Lonelinessis similar to getting out of confusion and searching for direction."

"I feel lonely as I am also lost. It is terrible,the direction in unclear for me."

Abas, 2008

...the sun is shining...

"The weather is very good today", said an 85 year old man. He was smiling when he was saying this sentence. It is really a wonderful day, the sun is shining.

"Where am I?...

A 92 year old woman said, "where am I?, I don't know." She was kind of lost and not knowing of where to go. Obviously, she was in the right place. I took her left hand and walked her over to her chair. She said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." I responded, "It is good to see you are here today." She gave me her big and cheerful smile. This is the situation that I observed each day in my working place. Such a blessing to assist all the elderly people in this center.

...where are my keys?

Today a man in his 80s said, "often I cannot remember where I put thing in my room, I am very forgetful this past days." He further told me that he couldn't even find his keys. Politely, I told him, you can always try to put your keys in one place. I know this might not be possible but at that moment I have to listen and to encourage him.

Let smile little bit!

Three Elderly Men
Three elderly men are talking about their aches, pains and bodily functions. The seventy-year old man says, "I have this problem. I wake up every morning at seven and it takes me twenty minutes to tinkle."
The eighty-year old man says, "My case is worse. I get up at eight and I sit there and grunt and groan for half an hour before I finally have a BM."
The ninety-year old says, "At seven I pee like a horse, at eight I flop like a cow."
"So what's your problem?" ask the others.
"I don't wake up until nine."

Be sensitive to the elderly!

Signs and symptoms of depression in the elderly

Recognizing depression in the elderly starts with knowing the signs and symptoms. Depression red flags include:
1. Sadness
2. Fatigue
3. Abandoning or losing interest in hobbies or other pleasurable past times
4. Social withdrawal and isolation (reluctance to be with friends, engage in activities, or leave home)
5. Weight loss; loss of appetite

6. Sleep disturbances (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, oversleeping, or daytime sleepiness)
7. Loss of self-worth (worries about being a burden, feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing)
8. Increased use of alcohol or other drugs
9. Fixation on death; suicidal thoughts or attempts

"d.e..li..cio..us"

Today, I was sitting with this 90 year old woman and she kept on saying, "d..e..li..cio..us." She was telling me that the lunch was delicious. Even though, she couldn't articulate or finished a sentence but she tried her very best to inform me with a big and cheerful smile. What a gift from God, having the opportunity to be with her. By the way, there were other three elderly women who were sitting around the table with me. A 90 year old woman, 88 year old woman and 80 year old woman.

She always asked me, "coo..kies"?, meaning "can I give you cookies. I always said, "yes" and she would slowly walked toward the table to get some cookies for me.