Most people crave touch, and yet many older people find themselves isolated from any physical contact at all. If I ask permission, I can hug. I can squeeze a hand. I can even give a shoulder or foot massage to ease tensions and aches. And I can acknowledge the beauty I see in the person before me.
People also have minds.
I have often found that those elders with the frailest of bodies have the quickest wits. He keeps his mind nimble by working jigsaw puzzles on his computer. I can hear the stereotypes cracking as I write. I have perhaps learned the most from clients in the early and middle stages of Alzheimer's disease. Many people complain that these folks do nothing but repeat themselves, and they become frustrated because Alzheimer's robs their loved ones of their short-term memory.