James and Marie

Alzheimer’s

James and Marie

I arrived on the psychiatric unit first thing in the morning and found I had two new consults to see.  They were an elderly married couple that had been brought to the hospital by Social Services with a court order to be evaluated regarding their mental competency and their possible need for protective placement. The history provided by the social worker described James and Marie as having lived all of their lives in our city.

They had known each other since grade school and had begun dating in high school. They had been married for 58 years.  They had been unable to have children of their own but had over the years raised several foster children. They had been admired by all who knew them.

Unfortunately they had not been faring well in recent months.  Neighbors became concerned about their safety and requested that Social Services intervene.  When the social worker arrived she found the house to be in a mess.  Spoiled food and garbage were everywhere.  Both of them were unkempt and inappropriately dressed.  They appeared to be confused but seemed happy that they had company and didn’t resist coming to the hospital.

When I approached them they were sitting very close to each other on a small bench, holding hands. Due to the efforts of the nursing staff they were now bathed and neatly attired.   I first turned to Marie and after introducing myself, asked her if she could tell me who the nice man sitting next to her was.  She smiled and said she could not.  I then turned to James and asked him if he could tell me the name of the nice lady he was sitting next to.  He said he didn’t know.  I then said that I noticed that he was sitting very close to her and asked him if he thought he might possibly be married to her.  He grinned at me and said, “No, but I’m working on it,” as he snuggled even closer.

2007