My Toothless Werewolf

Hedgerow Court is full of magical, impossible seniors, but a few of them are based loosely on residents I’ve had the privilege to know. While I would never give any identifying details, I’d like to share some of my memories. I’d like to think that remembering what made me love them—good or not so good—keeps a little bit of them alive. 

I have to start with Edmee (not her real name), as she was the inspiration for Hedgerow Court. As in the story (tiny spoiler!), Edmee had no teeth and disliked wearing her dentures. She also hated being on a soft diet, which loomed over her head if she wouldn’t wear dentures to chew her food. 

In addition to disliking her dentures, Edmee was firmly against people telling her what to do. Nurses, aides, therapists, that other resident who told her she was blocking the tv in the common area. If she didn’t want to wear her dentures, she’d bite the hand trying to put them in her mouth. Sometimes, she’d agree to let staff members try, just so she could snap at them. Believe it or not, this made her extremely endearing to many of us. 

One of my jobs as a CNA was to help Edmee get dressed in the morning, and this culminated with her dentures. It’s awkward to have someone undress and dress you, and Edmee was the type who liked to hear me chat about nonsense while I got her ready as opposed to drawing attention to what we were doing. At one point, I joked that she was like a werewolf, trying to bite me every time I put in her teeth. For some reason, this struck her as the “funniest thing she’d heard in weeks”. She asked me to tell her what it would be like if she really was a werewolf, knowing I’m prone to spinning stories when we’re bored. 

I made up an elaborate scenario about her jumping the kitchen manager who always did a “denture check” when she saw Edmee in the dining room and peeing on the potted plants to mark her territory. Edmee laughed so hard she went red in the face, and then she let me put in her dentures. After all, a werewolf needs her teeth. 

Every so often, Edmee asked for quick stories about what supernatural creatures she and the other residents would be. Some days, she’d let me put in her teeth. Some days, she still tried to bite me. 

I think she’d like Hedgerow Court.