Dressed for Eternity
I have recently had occasion to provide some assistance to an elderly gentleman with no family. He is 88 years old and deaf. I met him for the first time several months ago when his much younger friend and caretaker died leaving him alone. Being somewhat infirm, he was taken to a hospital the day his friend died, and then to a nursing home. He is a sweet, gentle man, who, over his lifetime, spent many untold hours helping others. As is often the case with folks who have no family, he is well fixed. For the first month or so that I knew him, I was able to communicate with him through the use of tablets and a lot of ink. He would read what I wrote out loud, and then respond. We discussed religion, his past, and his friends. He corrected me on my spelling numerous times. Then, he suffered a small stroke. He ceased communicating with people, brushing their hands aside when they touched him and telling people to go away. He shut his eyes and refused to open them. He is still living, but is