Dorothy

Right now I am taking care of an elderly lady named Dorothy. I dont remember her last name but I will most likely always remember her first name. It sticks because I think of Dorothy from the wizard of Oz. She has Alzheimers disease. I took care of her yesterday for the first time. I was nervous at first because I didnt know what to do. In the past I have only taken care of children. When I try to speak to her she doesn't hear me most of the time. She is hunched over her crochying right now. Her daughter (who she is living with right now) told me that I could do anything and let her crochet but I feel so bad, but there is nothing really I can do. I ask her questions, she doesnt know, or I try to make a comment and she continues her crocheting because she didn't hear me.
She is a kind old lady, her red sweater, bright buttons, white collared shirt, gray hair and eyes that seemed to have been washed out by light blue water. Sometimes she looks at me vacantly for minutes without saying anything. I smile and try to say something to make her feel good, but again, she can't hear me. Every once in a while she will tell me what she is doing with her crocheting. It could be boring to some, but I love it when she tells me. That way I feel like I am keeping her company because she has someone to talk to, even if all she says is "now I am doing three long ones and then next I will do five short ones. See?" It comforts me to hear her talk to me. Seeing her with her delicate hands and spindly fingers, I think of her as a brown maple leaf, clinging to the tree, as it quakes in a soft breeze. She is beautiful in her own way. Being around her makes me want to take care of her, smooth away all her troubles. It also makes me not as afraid of getting old. She may not remember her husband's name, or who her children or grandchildren are, whether she is hungry or where she has lived, but she is a wonderful woman who has done her part.
I really respect her children for taking care of her like this. I want to do the same for my mom so she doesn't have to go to some nursing home. I want her to be around people who love her, even if she doesn't know who they are. Being with people who are about three times + your age makes you really think about yourself, your life, and mortality in general. Its peaceful. I just wish that I can help her as much as she has helped me.