Today, my mother taught my 98-year-old great-uncle to knock on the wall if he needs us. He can't remember who we are, but every hour he can remember to knock to ask, "Is it breakfast yet?" FML
Collection
Halloween
A failed costume, stolen candy and a very real scare: Halloween, the one night when fear is allowed.
Today, I got a knock on my door at 3 a.m. Turns out, if I ignore my mother long enough, she will assume I have died and will call the cops. FML
Today, after an exhausting weekend of work, I decided to take a nap. I was awoken several hours later by my mother-in-law knocking on my door. Apparently my 11-year-old called up grandma to complain that she was hungry and that mum was sleeping instead of cooking dinner. FML
Today, I was woken up by my elderly neighbor banging on my door at 2am. She needed "urgent" assistance as she had forgotten how to turn her TV off. I'd just fallen asleep. FML
Today, I finally taught my mom how to text message people. Now I get a message from her every 30 seconds saying "Hi". FML
Today, I received a phone call from my 91-year-old grandpa. He was lost driving somewhere in my town. I then spent the next few hours trying to teach him how to send his location until his phone died. FML
Today, I finally convinced my grandpa to try a smartphone. After an hour of teaching him how to text, he announced he'd figured it out on his own. The first message he ever sent was meant for me. It went to his pharmacist instead and simply read, "Love you. Thanks for everything." FML
Today, my elderly dad learned how to use Facebook. He now spends most of his time messaging me about his meals, his bowel movements and his foot fungus. He's now learning how to use Skype. FML
Today, at my grandmother's funeral, my senile grandfather kept asking me "Where's granny? I've been looking for her, but I can't find her." FML
Today, I went to go see my granddad in the hospital and asked if he needed anything. He replied, "I need you to get out and send that hot nurse in, I may be old but I still got it." FML
Today, I'm taking care of my bedridden, 94-year-old grandma. She woke me up at 6 a.m. only to tell me her UTI is still there. Later, she made me interrupt my 15-minute-dinner a total of 4 times because she wanted things like "more lotion in her buttcrack." FML
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Top comments
Credibleskills 28
This reminds me of an old person misusing life alert!
colton_colton 50
Just leave food next to him so he can always eat without questioning!
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Comments (75)
ex_omer 17
Well maybe you should move him next to your mother's room
Schizomaniac 24
The wording is interesting. She "taught" the uncle to knock on the wall. I think it's interesting how we treat the elderly (at least generally, and in American culture as I've seen it). It seems that we tend to look at them the same way we do infants, as if they're inexperienced, incapable of understanding, unwise, etc. It's easy to forget that the elderly have been around the longest and have experienced the same or similar trials/troubles/heartbreaks/ups and downs and have learned the same life lessons we youngins' have. Makes me wonder what the world looks like through the eyes of an elderly person. Of course I realize that in this case (and many others) OP's relative has some sort of deteriorating mental state, so I wasn't calling anyone out or bashing anyone. Just sparked the thought is all.
prototypesnipe 4
Well what word would you have used. I know my very old grandfather who is 93 forgets how to do things so we have to re-teach him some stuff.
Schizomaniac 24
Well, I would have used "taught." Again, it was appropriate because the uncle's memory/capabilities are obviously gone or going. I just meant it was interesting because it made me think of what I explained.
brandoneyez1 25
Taught was the right word. I know many elderly people who have to be taught or re taught something they simply forgot due to age. As you get older your brain changes and in fact shrinks. You as a person shrinks a little. It's scientifically proven that some elderly have the mind of a child.
DanielleinDC 34
Given that OP's great uncle can't remember who they are, that's indicative of dementia or some related disorder. So, yes, you do have to "teach" a dementia patient to do things over again because the person has probably forgotten. Now they have to teach him how to tell time so he knows when it's mealtime, but that's probably not going to be easy either.
jazzy_123 20
have you never dealt with old people? Yes they are like children. Many of them start acting like a child after I don't know what age. My grandpa is 86 and he is so stubborn and always wants to go to the doctor for nothing (tantrums) and never wants to eat. It's like my mom says, "when you're old, it's like you're a baby again... sadly many people don't have the patience for them". And in OPs situation they have to TEACH him things because he's forgotten. You make it seem as if they're treating him like if he was an idiot. Learn the difference please.
gracehi 33
14, I find it interesting that the second paragraph of your comment completely negates the much longer first one. Why write so much to say nothing?
Schizomaniac 24
I would guess that gracehi is the only one who actually read the entire comment before rushing in to tell me I'm wrong. How did I negate what I said? I never made any assertion. I said the wording of the FML was interesting in that it sparked the thought process that ended up with "we tend to look at the elderly a certain way I'm not sure is accurate." Then I made it a point to acknowledge the fact that this wasn't the case in OP's situation. Pretty straightforward.
Nyx_fml 23
The way I understood it, Schizomaniac is just trying to point out how the use of the word "taught" in a way infantilizes someone who stopped being a child a while ago, and from what I've seen, that's something that frustrates the elderly even more. Saying "she taught him" is different from saying "she told him" or "she asked him". IMO anyway.
Goblin182 27
Be patient, you will be there some day.
LordMegatron 10
sooo... is it breakfast yet?
wanted_2_want 40
At least he won't starve to death! And at that age is amazing that he communicates in one way or another.
SMHsohard 22
I should introduce you to my 97 year old aunt who is still alert, oriented, and quite active physically (she just recently started using a cane when walking long distances because her balance isn't what it used to be). You would get more communication than you could handle.
luckysilverbell 5
My 98-year-old great-uncle lives on a ranch in the mountains, where he spends his time herding cattle and cutting down dead trees with his chainsaw. He called my grandmother last night to tell her about his dog pooping out his missing handkerchief. I get the feeling you haven't met very many elderly people.
Sinclair935 5
cut a small hole in the top of the wall. Whenever he knocks, throw a pack of poptarts through the hole.
gabagabaheyu 10
Dementia sucks. When I worked at a retirement home, we would place memory triggers about to help patients with thinking and remembering things. It's a scary disease.
hamzor 5
Just answer 'you just had breakfast' if he asks, since he can't remember if he had it or not anyway, and bring him his breakfast in the morning :)
jazzy_123 20
I don't think that'll make him "forget" his hunger if he really is hungry lol
renyftw 3
omg. same thing happens with my moms Grandpa xD bit I Dont live near them.. c:
energizerbunny23 18
Just think he had a 1 in 24 chance of being right