1 On 3 February 2008, we made the first visit of the year. (Times passes.) As we entered, we heard that the white-haired lady (WHL) was much improved. She was feeding herself again. She was spending time at the meal-table with others; (perhaps; I may be mis-recalling).
2 We joined the WHL in her room, upstairs, beyond the lift. She looked good. Her hair was fresh, as it had been on the previous visit. So too was her skin. Her lower lip and jaw still moved constantly. It could have been that she was much as she had been six weeks ago.
3 It was soon evident though that she had improved. Whilst she didn't speak, she seemed to be more conscious that she was being spoken to. Her eyes moved from one to the other. At one point - just one - she replied, easily and straightaway to a question or observation. Her 'very nearly' (or some such words) fitted the question or observation exactly. There were no other responses of this kind, but there had been this one.
3.1 When her tea came, she was able to hold the mug and drink from it. She hadn't done that on the previous visit; she hadn't done it, to the best of my recollection, for months, perhaps for the past year.
4 All in all, the visiting was easy. The sun shone. She sat quietly in her chair, her lower jaw moving all the while. We took it in turns to talk to her. One would talk and otherwise attend to her for 15 to 20 minutes; then, there would be a change of attendant. In that way, the lady had the undivided attention of each of the two visitors; meanwhile, each of the visitors had the opportunity to sit quietly for a while, look and listen, or just read a paper for a while.
5 As ever, the staff were good to meet and talk to. The young care-assistant who took us to the room is taking a course in nursing (and works in the home, where she had worked before, to make some money). The always-smiling care worker from the Phillipines talked about her family and about the WHL, for whom she had a fond regard. (The WHL remains the favourite of all, so it appears.)
6 Summing up the visit is easy: the WHL is 92 going on 91.
