It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly
gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said
he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs
and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would
to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not
busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well
healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove
his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him
if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat
breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had
been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we
talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she
no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I
was surprised, and asked him, “And you still go every morning, even though she
doesn't know who you are?” He smiled as he patted my hand and said, “She
doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."
