I have a friend named Charlotte. Shes forty years old. She always insisted that elderly people deserved respect, assuring everyone that kindness towards them would be repaid with warmth and affection. She was quick to scold anyone who complained about their aged relatives, labelling such people callous.
What do elderly people need? Charlotte would say, Just cook a meal, offer a smile, serve it up, and thats all!
But fate dealt her a lesson for those beliefs.
One day, I asked Charlotte to look after my grandfather. Hes eighty-nine. I needed to take my son to a rehabilitation centre, and absolutely no one was available to care for my granddad. So I turned to Charlotte for help. She agreed, and her only responsibility was to give him his meals on time and ensure he took his medicine.
On the first day, Charlotte brought him a bowl of soup for lunch, a slice of bread, tea, and a bun. She then popped out to the local shop. When she returned, she was greeted by the sight of my grandfather having consumed the entire pot of soup. Of course, this left him with severe stomach pain and a bout of intestinal trouble. Charlotte was exhausted, shuttling him back and forth to the bathroom. He hadnt been able to control his sudden hunger attacks for quite some time.
The next morning, Charlotte was late for work because of my grandfather. Somehow, hed settled himself in the bathroom for over an hour. Afterwards, he refused his porridge and hurled the breakfast bowl onto the floor. He then went so far as to demand that Charlotte leave his flat, accusing her of trying to poison him.
Charlotte had no peace from my grandfather, day or night. In just three days, she was completely worn out. She grew to despise him, barely managing to restrain herself from losing her temper.
When I returned home, Charlotte dashed out of the apartment without a word of farewell. She hasnt answered any of my calls since. She must be worried that Ill ask her to watch over my grandfather again, even for a short while.
Its easy to be wise when youve never really felt how difficult it is to care for an elderly and sick person.
