I just want to tell you something about stroke victims. I used to be social serviced director at a nursing home. We had a man come in on a Friday night - when I talked to him he was completely oriented and communicative, told me his SSN from memory, had lots of tales about his travel and experiences. Over the weekend he had a stroke, and after that he couldn't talk hardly at all. It was so frustrating for him, especially since people started treating him almost like he wasn't there. I was so glad that I had the chance to talk to him before the stroke because otherwise I would never have known who he really was. He was still all there mentally, but just couldn't communicate very well. You should have seen how relieved he was when I told him that I knew he was still the same person and acknowleged that I knew he knew everything that was going on just like before. It wasn't long after that before I moved away, so I don't know how much communication he got back. Recovery from strokes is difficult and slow, and I hope that your grandmother hasn't lost that much of her ability to communicate, but I just wanted to tell you that it will mean a lot to her to know that you still have as much respect for her as you always did, and that you know she's still there.

Best wishes for all of you, especially your grandmother,
Wendy

<font color=purple>"The real problem of mental life is not why some people become insane, but rather why most avoid insanity." -Erich Fromm</font color=purple>