Aliens

I decided today that I should start keeping track of some of the things I hear everyday at the skilled nursing facility. Sometimes, patients say the funniest things. I don't mean to make fun of vulnerable people--I just think that it's one of those situations where you either laugh about it, or you cry about it. So I choose to laugh.

Today's conversation of the day:

Me: Why are you here, Bob*?
Bob: Well, I had a brain aneurysm. That, and I complained about aliens visiting me.

Note: To my knowledge, Bob never complained of alien sightings. His brain injury causes him to make up things and have a poor short-term memory. He sometimes thinks that he is in a school, not a skilled nursing facility. In fact, he told me today that this weekend was his graduation. The good thing: despite these challenges, Bob is not angry, and he responds well to others (like me and the SLP) correcting him. Our challenge: trying to help him learn memory and reasoning strategies to sort through reality and fabrications.

What an interesting fellow, that Bob.

*Patient names changed to protect the innocent and follow HIPAA rules.