The Amazing Multiplying Quarters

For the past eight years I have served on the board of the Presbyterian Homes and Services of Kentucky, a group of not-for-profit nursing homes.  It is our goal to provide a caring, safe place for those who can no longer manage living in their own homes.  Thanks to an outstanding staff from the CEO to the janitors these homes are truly "homes" for the seniors who live there.  One thing that has always impressed me is that these buildings are always filled with joy and laughter.  The staff and residents approach each step with humor and cheerfulness that eases everyone over the humps involved in leaving home and making a new life in a community.

Many of our residents are dealing with the onset of dementia as well as the transition from living alone.  One of my favorite stories involves an elderly gentleman who had just recently moved into his new senior home.  His children were concerned about how well he would accept his new surroundings and were busy trying everything they knew to make the transition easier.  One of their efforts involved giving him a cell phone so he could keep in touch with his family and friends.  The phone calls, while not always convenient or totally coherent, were a help to his peace of mind. 

Soon after his arrival the staff started noticing that he was amassing a large number of quarters.  There were quarter on the nightstand, in his robe pockets, in his clothing drawers,and stacked on the shelf.  Every day there were more quarters.  The staff just moved them around, and stacked them up for him.  Finally one day they decided they needed to get to the bottom of this and called the son to bring some quarter wrappers so they could deal with the ever increasing numbers of quarters. 

The son arrived with the wrappers and with a twinkle in his eye, gently questioned his dad about the quarters.  His dad responded with total  bemusement that he couldn't figure out why, but everyone that came to see him brought quarters.  They were piling up terribly.  Couldn't he take them and put them in a safe or something?  With a chuckle, the son replied that he could fix everything and would see that the quarters were taken care of.

It seems that the old gentleman had for many years operated a coin laundry.  The daily problem was to have enough quarters for the change machines to dispense so everyone could do their wash.  With this problem bubbling up from the past in his mind, he had used his new cell phone to call everyone he knew and ask them to please, please bring him quarters.  He told them he desperately needed more quarters and he couldn't seem to get them in this place, so would they please bring him some when they came to see him.  Being good friends and neighbors they all had been dropping by and leaving him with a few quarters. 

The mystery of the amazing multiplying quarters was solved.