The Hair Cut

I am grateful that hair grows pretty slow!  It took me two days of trying but I managed to get Grandpa into the Barber Shop yesterday and you would be so proud of me because I didn't say--"Shave it all off!"  When you have someone who has Alzheimer's you have to be very creative in everything that needs to happen.  The first day I made the mistake of telling Grandpa that we were going to the Barber Shop so he could get his hair cut.  Bad idea!  All the way there he kept telling me that he wasn't going to get his hair cut and that he wouldn't go in.  When we got there the shop had several people waiting so I just turned around and we went back home.  I tried again that afternoon and he was even more determined that no one was going to cut his hair.  When we got there--it was closed so I turned around and headed home.  In spite of that he kept saying all the way home, "I don't want to get my hair cut!"  Day two I was much more creative.  First a trip to the donut shop for an apple fritter and then a little drive.  He asks,  "Where are we going?" I respond,  "Just taking a little ride and you should just look around at all the interesting things on our way!" I took the long back roads through Apple Valley until we got almost to the Barber Shop and then I tell him.  "We are going to the Barber Shop and although you don't want to go--you are going!"  "And, I added, you are going to behave yourself!"  Why didn't I think of that the first time!?

I have to admit that the owner of the shop smiled several times at some of the comments Grandpa made during the torturous time in the barber chair.  The last time I took him in which was a couple of months ago we got a new barber who looked like she may have been sixteen years old.  I determined that we wouldn't use her again because she was way to slow!  Fortunately, I am a big chicken and didn't want to hurt her feelings so we ended up back in her chair.  She remembered Grandpa and really kicked it up a notch and we were in and out pretty quickly.  Honestly, you would think that every hair on his head had nerves.  He said, "Ouch" with each shave and cut she took.  She tried to get him to tilt his head down so she could shave his neck and that definitely brought resistance!  I finally had to hold his head down until she had it all shaved and clean.  I was so grateful to get him out of the shop and back into the car.  I told him his hair looked so nice and his response came as no surprise--"I don't want to get my hair cut again!"