Well what word would you have used. I know my very old grandfather who is 93 forgets how to do things so we have to re-teach him some stuff.

Well, I would have used "taught." Again, it was appropriate because the uncle's memory/capabilities are obviously gone or going. I just meant it was interesting because it made me think of what I explained.

Taught was the right word. I know many elderly people who have to be taught or re taught something they simply forgot due to age. As you get older your brain changes and in fact shrinks. You as a person shrinks a little. It's scientifically proven that some elderly have the mind of a child.

Given that OP's great uncle can't remember who they are, that's indicative of dementia or some related disorder. So, yes, you do have to "teach" a dementia patient to do things over again because the person has probably forgotten. Now they have to teach him how to tell time so he knows when it's mealtime, but that's probably not going to be easy either.

have you never dealt with old people? Yes they are like children. Many of them start acting like a child after I don't know what age. My grandpa is 86 and he is so stubborn and always wants to go to the doctor for nothing (tantrums) and never wants to eat. It's like my mom says, "when you're old, it's like you're a baby again... sadly many people don't have the patience for them". And in OPs situation they have to TEACH him things because he's forgotten. You make it seem as if they're treating him like if he was an idiot. Learn the difference please.

14, I find it interesting that the second paragraph of your comment completely negates the much longer first one. Why write so much to say nothing?

I would guess that gracehi is the only one who actually read the entire comment before rushing in to tell me I'm wrong. How did I negate what I said? I never made any assertion. I said the wording of the FML was interesting in that it sparked the thought process that ended up with "we tend to look at the elderly a certain way I'm not sure is accurate." Then I made it a point to acknowledge the fact that this wasn't the case in OP's situation. Pretty straightforward.

The way I understood it, Schizomaniac is just trying to point out how the use of the word "taught" in a way infantilizes someone who stopped being a child a while ago, and from what I've seen, that's something that frustrates the elderly even more. Saying "she taught him" is different from saying "she told him" or "she asked him". IMO anyway.

I should introduce you to my 97 year old aunt who is still alert, oriented, and quite active physically (she just recently started using a cane when walking long distances because her balance isn't what it used to be). You would get more communication than you could handle.

My 98-year-old great-uncle lives on a ranch in the mountains, where he spends his time herding cattle and cutting down dead trees with his chainsaw. He called my grandmother last night to tell her about his dog pooping out his missing handkerchief. I get the feeling you haven't met very many elderly people.

I don't think that'll make him "forget" his hunger if he really is hungry lol