The Elderly and Their Wicked Ways

The Elderly and Their Wicked Ways                                                       3/09/12

I have a friend named Lilly, who works for a popular care organization. Meaning she is sent out to help take care of elderly people who need light care taking, such as shopping or looking after. Last week she said she was sent out to the San Francisco Bay area to a couple who happened to be very wealthy. Their home was a three story condo that sat on top of a hill overlooking the whole entire San Francisco Bay. Harold and Edith were both in their late 80’s and had been married for around 60 years. Edith suffered from some kind of dementia and the reason why she needed care was because she could not remember things. Harold wanted to take a small three day vacation once a month and needed someone to watch over her while he was away.

So after Lilly interviewed with them, Harold being so grateful to find someone that his wife liked, took them all out for a Filet Mignon dinner, which Lilly said must have cost him plenty! The next weekend Lilly came back to the house to take care of Edith. They really seemed to hit it off and had a good time. My friend Lilly has a great sense of humor and is a great conversationalist while always making people laugh. On that Sunday evening as they were talking, they could hear Harold come home down stairs and Lilly said, “Oh it sounds like your husband’s home; let’s go down stairs and meet him.” And Edith said, “Oh honey you stay right here and I will go down and meet him.” And Lilly said, “I can go with you.” Then Edith said, “NO! You floozy! I will go meet MY husband, because he is MY husband!” Well, Lilly just could not understand the woman’s strange change in behavior, because they were having such a good weekend.

So Lilly relented, as the woman got up and went down stairs. Being curious, Lilly tip toed to the top of the stairs to listen in on the conversation.
As she was listening she heard the following exchange; Harold to Edith, “So how was your weekend?” Edith, “I told you for the last time, to stop bringing these strange women home! I have put up with your womanizing for the last 60 years and I have had about enough of it! I want her out of my house!” Well, Lilly could not believe her ears, so she quickly put her coat on and snuck down the stairs to her car. Passing them in the hallway, Edith just glared at her while Lilly just shrugged her shoulders at Harold. As she was getting into her car, Harold knocked on her window, and said that he was so sorry, and that Lilly was the third caretaker he had hired, and that Edith had not liked any of them. Lilly said, that’s ok, and with a glint in his eye, he said,” Well, honey you are beautiful, and if I could make this 89 year old body work….. As of this writing Lilly had not heard back from the couple.