Oct 16, 2022
Chat with Deb—And You Are…?
Is it considered elder abuse if they’re younger than you are?
My wife Deb has been having a busy calendar lately. Things with family, things with friends, things at church, a little shopping here and there…
So she is about to rush out the door on her way to a school alumni thing, and she frowns.
DEB: Honey, I keep leaving you! I should get a nametag so you know who I am. Maybe with “Jack’s Wife” on it, as a reminder.
ME: Debster, with my future brain failure, it won’t be long before you need that for real when you visit me in the memory support unit.
DEB: (looks at me sadly but fondly) That’s fine. Barb¹ went to visit her mother often, and she’d always start by saying, “Hi, I’m Barb, I’m your daughter.” So I can do that.
ME: And then I’ll say, “Oh! I don’t even remember having a daughter!” (I stare at her with wide eyes) “But you know, Barb, you look just like your mother!”
DEB: (starts to smile, then pulls in her lips) That would be rather cruel, Jackster. (smile gets loose) I should so do that!
Since Deb is older than I am, it’s not really elder abuse, right?
¹Family friend; her late mother had dementia.
