Mr. Tokio and Company

Yesterday I volunteered at an day-care center for the elderly (Takuya, my host brother, works there). It was a great experience. I got to interact with the elderly people as well as the employees. I hope they saw Christ in me, even though I didn't get to tell them about Him audibly (oh well--that's why Taku's there, right!?!).
Taku drove them in, about 6 in all, and staff led them in slowly one at a time. I stood inside with an employee, greeting them as they arrived. Those who could express themselves showed their surprise at my being there--not only an unfamiliar face but a foreign one.
Taku warned me about a couple of them, I guess so I wouldn't be shocked. [any of you who have ever been to a nursing home know what kind of characters you can meet there]
Mr. Tokio was the last to arrive, and he wasn't really THERE most of the time. He sat fast asleep in his wheelchair 98% of the time. He had to be fed by one of the workers. I don't know if he could move any part of his body, and he never spoke.
Pardon me for forgetting many other names...
One lady, at least 80 years old, could not stand up straight. Her back was hunched over, as if she were sitting down everywhere she went. But her mind was perfectly fine, and she could easily participate with the rest of the group.
Another had a body which functioned fairly well, but her mind was in another place entirely. She had lost a baby many years ago, and now she carries a doll with her in its place. She truly believes that doll is her baby--she talks to it, holds it, puts it in a stroller...
The lady who sat next to the baby seldom spoke, but she was great at Jenga! I think her mind is pretty okay, she just has a blank, almost shocked expression constantly and can't say much.
(I'll abbreviate the next two names...)
Ms. C was happy as soon as she walked in the door. The only thing that got her down was when she tried to explain her stroke and its reprecussions to me. Her right side is paralysed, and she can only say a few phrases.
I had learned about Broca's aphasia in my linguistics classes, but I hadn't seen it since then. One of the books mentioned that Japanese Broca's aphasics could understand Kanji (roughly, Chinese pictograms, based on objects and ideas) but not Hiragana or Katakana (sylabic alphabets, based on sound).
This appeared to be Ms. C's case. I don't know what she could perceive or understand, but I know she could only write Kanji. She would write when we couldn't guess what she was trying to say. Even with so few words for her mouth, she was very expressive. I loved talking with her. Her peppy personality reminded me of my maternal grandmother.
Mr. K was by far the most level-headed and well of the group (he was in his late 70s, I think). He could walk (however slowly) without a cane or anything, and his speech and mind were little if at all impaired. He also knew some English, and tried to translate some of the day for me. He told me about his experience as an engineer, working on cars, and other things. He knew Texas for its oil, and Gunma for its old plane manufacturing plant (Daiju, correct me if this is wrong! I think that's what he said...). He was a very nice man.
The day reminded me of a preschool or kindergarten class somewhat. We watched a little TV, had multiple breaks (for tea, not juice), did a craft (making an attendance schedule), sang some songs, had some games, and even recreation. The main difference was the turn-taking for assisted bathing and the mouth exercises prior to eating lunch (please tell me you don't do that with pre-k or K kids at school or day-care...). I don't think I will ever forget the recreation time (Un-do), especially Mr. K's translation of the activities. "Now, we have finger exercises. This is the parent finger (thumb), this is the person finger (index/pointing), this is the center finger (middle), this is the medicine finger, and " I forgot what he said the pinky was.