My grandma. I know I shouldn't laugh but.........

Oh bless her! She sounds fantastic and you seem wonderful with her

What a lovely thing to still have your gran, and it sounds as if you get on so well with her - and get loads of fun out of your relationship too . I remember my MiL who always seemed to imitate the illnesses of anyone around her. We dared not mention anything wrong with us because next time we visited, sure enough, she'd be suffering from the same thing. And she'd swear black was white that she had no idea we'd had it the previous week .

She is fantastic and annoying in equal measures KatyK

It must be a symptom of getting really old AshTree my grandma couldn't see anyone having any illness or operation and she wants it for herself. She goes to a Warfarin clinic once a month (where she is treat like royalty) and boy does she lap it up. I've never known anyone enjoy a hospital appointment as much as she does.

This really made me lol, what a character Perhaps you could remind her of the boy who cried, 'Wolf!'

My mothers sight deteriorated and she was eventually registered blind, from that day on she WAS blind. What I failed to understand was her complaining about the daisies in her lawn, and when I walked in on day informing me that my shoe lace was undone. hey Ho.

She is indeed a character MiniMouse I wish I was more articulate because I am sure she is a book waiting to be written !

Funny you should say that pompa but my grandma is dying to be registered blind ! She uses the hearing book service, (which I have to say is excellent) and I overheard her telling the lady who brings the CD's that she was totally blind. I just sit there and shake my head.

I have just spoken to her on the phone and asked if there is anything she particularly fancies for her tea today and she (very sarcastically) asked me if I have had a good holiday. I said "Grandma I have only missed one day, I saw you on Wednesday" "Oh" she said "well it feels like you have been away on holiday"

Gillybob

I know exactly where you are coming from, MIL the same.

If you have an 'itis' she has an 'itis itis'. If you have a headache she has a brain tumour.

She has cried wolf so many times now that sadly if she is genuinely ill we tend to dismiss it.

They are funny though and at 99 years of age she certainly has had time to 'practice her art'

I had an aunt like that with illness, always had to have what you had, but obviously more severe, more life threatening. If one of us had a cold, she was suffering from pneumonia. I used to ask Mum to please tell her that Dad was having bother with his prostate ( he wasn't) just to hear what she would come up with then.

Oh dear. That would drive me up the wall!
I am not sure I would be as tolerant.
I dont think that old people should pretend to be something they are not, and use advanced age to get away with it.
On the other hand, I am not 99, so what do I know.

GillT57

I think it's a good job you can laugh at her, because sorry to say it, she sounds a rather unpleasant old lady. I have relatives in their nineties in my family, and none of them are like that.

If any of them were like that, then none of us in the family would put up with it.

'What a character' - my a*

The comments about other peoples illnesses reminds me so much of my exdh, especially the headache/brain tumor Pogs

I had a cough, he had bronchitis, I had a cold, he had the 'flu. I think it was the bane of his life that he couldn't quite manage period pains.........

Sounds like my mother, if you mentioned an illness she'd either had it, got it, or knew someone who'd died of it.
This included Von Finkelheind syndrome ( my invention) it gave you a blinding headache every time you had a wee!
She'd had a bad attack of it only the week before!

That reminded me of my old boss Galen he used to talk about people having an attack of 'plumbem pendulitis'.......... swinging the lead

In defense of those that suddenly become blind, deaf etc.
My hearing was getting poor in certain situations, but I thought it was OK most of the time. Recently been fitted with hearing aids, NOW without them I feel really deaf. I guess my brain has now got used to a higher volume level in the upper frequencies, so if I don;t wear them I appear more deaf that I remember.

Like GillT my grandmother had everything going -including Prostate cancer.....the only time she ever went to hospital was with a broken wrist. She was a tiny, skinny little lady, fit as a flea and lived to 92.
Bless them all (and carry on smiling with gritted teeth) x

Totally agree with, elena. My dear sweet MIL went blind in later life and did everything in her power to try and hide it. To tell everyone that your almost blind is disgraceful at any age. No excuse that she's 99.

I think your grandma sounds just wonderful, gillybob. I'm still tittering away at the thought of her saying that she can't talk anymore.
And yes, I think she IS a character! I know how much you do for her, and that it's not always easy to juggle everything that you have to do, but you love her, so you do it with good grace.
I don't think your old grandma sounds 'unpleasant' - I think she sounds a cracker of an old lady!

I think some posters sound quite unpleasant themselves, frankly, and that your DGM sounds like a real character.

Hope she manages to get her telegram from HM (will HM send a telegram to Philip if he gets to 100 I wonder?)

It doesn't sound like bad behaviour, it just sounds as if she still has all her wits about her and knows how to pull the strings!!!
And you all know how to handle her!

Personally I think anyone who reaches such a marvellous age should be allowed to be as feisty as they like!
When you consider what they've lived through I think that's the least they deserve!

My DM is delightfully eccentric and exasperating, my dear dad at 91 as wry as ever and, as roseq says, they both know how to pull the strings.

A cousin of OH has just been in , her 103 mother died recently , the old lady did all those annoying forgetful things and her family took it in turns to look out for her , she said sometimes if they didn't laugh it would have ended in tears . The rally old don't mean to be so much trouble but are so aware of how little time left they get fearful and do anything to keep us on our toes

I think they are all fantastic, but I do admire those of you who are coping so compassionately and with such humour and affection. Thank you for sharing your stories with us!

Thank you all for your good wishes and lovely comments.

You are right Marelli I love her to bits and I would feel empty without her in my life. I do to take her criticism and awkwardness in the best of humor although I am not frightened to tell her off when needs be.

I do hope she lives to get her telegram rosequartz she is in good spirits at the moment and doing quite well considering she will be 99 at the beginning of September. You are right she is a real character and small piece of living history.

Petra and elena At 99 My grandma is without doubt suffering from a degree of dementia. We are a very small family and she relies on me for most things. She loses sleep when she hasn't seen me for a day or two. She can be childish and yes she pretends to have illnesses that she clearly doesn't. On the other hand she has lived for 99 years. She worked hard until she was well into her 70's and nursed a very sick husband. She buried her only two boys (my uncles) in their early 50's and her only daughter (my mum) is in much worse health than grandma is. When we were children she was the nicest most loving grandma I could have ever had , we were almost never away from her house. Infact almost every happy childhood memory I have involves my grandma.
Anyway let's face it most of us won't live to be 99 !

We almost always have afternoon tea together on a Friday, compete with cakes and sandwiches (the tea has to be poured from a tea pot ) and the way she was chatting away about the election and various things in the news I think perhaps she could go on for another 10 years !

She sounds like an absolute treasure gillybob, you are very lucky! What wonderful memories you have!
I didn't have any kind of relationship with my paternal grandparents and my maternal grandfather was a distant figure who didn't like children (my mum's mother died when mum was 6), so quite !