I got to see my friends on assisted living for a visit with my therapy cat this week! Before I even reached the great room, there was a man in the hallway, extending his arms to hug me. And then as soon as I walked in, I jumped on a sofa between a woman I knew, and another who was completely confused. The girl I knew hugged me, and the other girl didn’t wake up.
Then I saw the girl who liked to high five me. I wasn’t sure the girl on the other end of the sofa wanted to see me, but the high five girl encouraged her. The next thing I knew, I had a new friend!
I spent a lot of time visiting old friends, such as the non-verbal woman with heavy hands, and a red-haired woman who adored me. And I also found new friends, like a man in a wheelchair, and a cute Spanish speaking girl who was also in a wheelchair. The entire time, I was followed by a staff member with a tablet to take pictures of my visits to the residents.
My favorite person to visit is the girl who cries when she sees me because she loves the cat so much. But then he started going downhill, and after a while he didn’t even remember me. And then the last few times she was around while I was visiting, she didn’t acknowledge me at all. But this time he saw me and said in a low voice, “A cat! I’m a cat lover.” It was great to be with him for a while, and I got a photo of the staff with him. It made it a special visit.
