Gifted elders are vivacious. They are not necessarily vivacious in the  physical sense, although some are.  I love to dance and my husband and I even won a twist contest in our fifties. Nevertheless, I do not consider myself physically vivacious or vivacious in my appearance.

Visiting elders in nursing homes confirms my belief in the mental vivaciousness of gifted elders. I see it in their eyes, the spark, the spirit that is a combination of alacrity,  curiosity, and creativity. A friend who is in the mid to late stage of Alzheimer’s still has her quick and gifted sense of humor. Another is a model of hospitality and as good at conversation as any of our friends. Another is always reading and has boxes of books waiting to devour. My mentor, Annemarie Roeper, was writing and publishing into her nineties.

Gifted elders need their vivacious spirit affirmed. It pains me when I see caregivers treat them as mentally challenged or talk to them as if they were infants. A student whose family I assist in educational planning recently expressed her need to have conversations that were not limited by having to give lengthy explanations or having to slow down. The student voiced the need to have gifted conversations daily. Gifted elders want this too.

Are there vivacious gifted elders who you can gift with conversation and understanding?

Photo: You’d never guess she uses a cane. by Ann Fisher (https://goo.gl/lwcxBV). Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z (2016)  Challenge. Click here. to see all of the blogs in the A to Z Challenge