Conversations with the elderly

Nurse walks in to check on the patient sitting by the window. "Hi there sweetie, how are you feeling today? Do you want me to move you away from the window? You must be getting hot!" Without waiting for a response, the nurse unlocks the wheelchair and moves it in front of the TV.

"There you go dear, you'll be more comfortable here." Leaning forward, the nurse smiles and runs her hands over the soft hair pulled back in a simple pony-tail. "I'll be back to check on you later, okay?"
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What kind of relationship do you see going on here? Who is this mysterious patient?

You probably are thinking it's a young child in the hospital, or possibly a mentally handicap individual in some care facility.

Unfortunately, this fictional conversation is taking place between a 20-30 female nurse and an elderly woman. This conversation is all too often a reality.

I have known people who think it is okay to speak to elderly people with that same high-pitched, sing-song tone we use with children. They think it is okay to give them pet-names like dear, sweetie, and honey.

And it pisses me off every damn time.

I look at it this way: I'm X age (24). They are Y age. Out of sheer respect for their age, their life experience, etc. I address the elderly as they tell me to ("you can just call me MaryJane"), by their last name (Mr./Mrs. so-and-so), or simply sir or ma'am.

Guess you could say, my momma raised me right.

Did yours?