I am the head nurse in the Order’s Alzheimer’s Center in China. I cannot describe adequately the
happiness I feel when I look back on the three years that I have spent with the center’s elderly patients.
From them I have learned many valuable things. It might seem a simple matter to live with the elderly.
However, it can be quite difficult to establish trustful rapport with the elderly who are having difficulty
with communication and see themselves deteriorating physically and psychologically. Recently I tried to
communicate with a newly admitted female client. Before coming to us she had not bathed or washed her
hair in over a month. We could not persuade her to wash herself so we decided that we would have to
wash her. I started bathing her by softly talking to her and she soon began to cooperate. After bathing, she
said “thanks” to me repeatedly and reached out to wipe the perspiration from my forehead. How can I
describe my feelings of happiness and satisfaction! This lady was very nice to me from then on and one
day she approached and said to me “Thank you so much and take these socks” which she took from her
bag. She showed her innocent, good and gracious character in those words. When these old people whom
I have come to know so well die it is very precious and meaningful for me to share the last moments of
their lives as one of their friends.