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As much as Shiloh B. can make me feel so frustrated and angry sometimes when he gets away from me - somehow, when we go visit at the nursing home or the hospice, he knows how to turn on that Beagle charm - it just amazes me sometimes. I love watching the interactions between him and the clients there. At the nursing home – a few weeks ago we went to one of the assisted living apartments but finding the client not there, we moved on. One of the rooms had the door open and two elderly women were visiting inside. We started to walk by since we had other clients to meet with but Shiloh B. hesitated a little then I heard their voices talking about the cute dog so we stopped. He greets everyone with a happy wag and a body language that looks like he says “aw gee ma’am, ain’t nuthin” – just thinking about it here at work puts a smile on my face. After a bit of visiting there, we proceed back down the hallway when what I call one of those “chance encounters” happened – in the hallway, they had low windows with an edge on them where Shiloh B. could stand up a little and look out(no, no rabbits were there). As we turned and started to walk away, I heard the voice of another elderly woman standing back down the hallway – “Is that a little dog - could I see that little dog?” So we walked back to visit a little with her. To make this long story a little shorter – turns out this woman had been a neighbor of ours when we had a little farm north of here about 25 years ago then years later, after my mom died and my dad had remarried plus moved in town, she went to the same church they did. She remembered me and remembers my sister. She lives in one of the retirement apartments they have in this center. What made me think about this now is that Shiloh B. and I visited there last evening – now I make a point of calling her when we are going to visit. Beth loves visiting with us and loves to show us off to her neighbors at the retirement apartments.
Just a note – I call it a nursing home – it is really a retirement center with a medical unit for those clients needing more medical care but also has apartments for those who are pretty much totally independent and then also assisted living apartments for those who are a little in-between. The client we originally went to visit in the assisted living area – I found out had been moved to the medical area so we were still able to visit with her and was so happy that we found her; she will soon be moving back to her apartment.
(next time, I hope to get some pics)
