A few days ago there was some very heavy rain here. For 99% of the time I don’t bother with umbrellas. Showers are more common than full-on continuous rainfall through the day. I’m very good at leaving umbrellas places as well. Usually in people’s houses – but also on buses, trains – wherever I stop for enough time to actually put things down!
It’s something of an occupational hazard.
I don’t buy expensive umbrellas – I see them very much as disposable goods – I know they’re never going to last very long. I haven’t spent more than £3 on an umbrella for years.
So, a couple of days ago when the rain was too heavy to combat armed only in a raincoat – and with some reluctance, I grabbed the umbrella I keep at work, as I left the office.
I went to see Mr D and his wife. Mr D is at a later stage of dementia and is fairly agitated at the moment.
He wants to go out for a walk but my presence is preventing him spending time with his wife. Speeding myself up, I just about manage to pass on the information I need to as well as giving Mrs D an indication of good times to catch me around on the phone. I can see Mr D pacing in the hallway with an umbrella in his hand that looks exactly like mine – and clutching it tightly.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I see there’s another umbrella looking the same in the hallway. Ah, he must have just got one like mine (not difficult – I have a black umbrella!). I pick up my umbrella and leave.
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As I walk out, I open the umbrella. Hmm. I buy exceptionally cheap umbrellas and this one isn’t. This is a NICE umbrella. Really nice. Expensive.
I turn back thinking we could manage a quick umbrella amnesty – exchange of umbrellas on the doorstep.
When Mr D answers the door, I explain that perhaps we had mixed up our umbrellas and could exchange them. I joke that his umbrella is much nicer than mine (actually completely true!).
He holds onto the umbrella for dear life – and growls aggressively at me about wanting to take his umbrella.
Realising (I can be slow sometimes) that I wasn’t really helping at this point, I snuck the umbrella around the inside of the door and left, umbrella-less, an annoyed looking Mr D with his wife trying to pacify him. I know I should have taken it and returned it the next time – but I felt guilty – I mean, it was a REALLY nice umbrella!
I spoke to Mrs D the next day on the telephone and apologised about the umbrella confusion. She then apologised in turn and told me that Mr D had not let go of my umbrella since I’d left. It’d been to bed with him, to the bath with him – everywhere.
I hope it the rest of the summer is less rainy. ..
Filed under: carer, elderly, old age, social care, social work, work | Tagged: dementia, elderly, health, lost umbrella, social care, social work, umbrella
that is an AWESOME story. It made me grin. I’m sorry you got wet, but wow. That’s great!
I’m glad he’s found a friend! That was great.
Great story and great lesson
I just truly hate umbrellas. They are just such a pain in the rear-end. I never spend much on them and rarely use them because I think they are disposable too. I used to have this plastic poncho thingy that covered me to my knees and had a nice big plastic hood that went with it. It was made of thin plastic which was great for maneuverability and I had to wear it so I was not prone to leaving it anywhere but because of it being thin plastic it was always getting torn. It was great though, especially for summer showers and I could usually find them for less than the cost of an umbrella.
Thanks for the comments – and that sounds like it might be a good idea, Prin!
Great story, cb! It always delights me when accidents turn into therapy.
That made me laugh, almost like a Fawlty Towers kind of sketch.
Thanks, Sister!