Insult to Injury

When I first come in the room, I find you adorably petite and huggable with a halo of white hair and a serene grin. I would have mistaken you for Mrs. Claus if you were wearing a red velvet jacket adorned with white faux-fur instead of a hospital issued faded-floral smock. I introduce myself as your student nurse and assess your mental status to monitor for the advancement of your dementia. You cannot remember what day it is, the word for straw or your son’s name. Your communication method is vague mumbling until I am injecting you with your medication. In that moment, you recall the words “cock sucking monkey” and yell them at me.
Call me judgmental, but I have a hard time seeing your resemblance to mild-mannered Mrs. Claus after our interaction. Dementia works in mysterious ways upon the brain. Rationally, I know I should not take the verbal attack personally but I am having a difficult time forgiving your insult. As a nurse, I will be with patients during their darkest hours and probably receiving the brunt of the frustration they feel toward their situation. For my sanity, I cannot take such statements to heart. Later in my career I will thank you for toughening my professional skin. But in this moment, I am hurt and saddened that the words “cock sucking monkey” are the only ones that you remember to address me with and I wish you had the mental capacity to apologize for them.