Banging your head against a wall

Nana had a check up last week.  Becky and I headed to Compass to pick her up, and Nana was very excited to go. We packed her up into the car, and we headed to Worcester.
  "I miss my car.  I've been thinking of picking up another one, just so I can run an errand or two."
Uhoh.
  "Oh Mom, I don't mind picking up stuff for you.  And if you want to go somewhere, just let me know."
  "I hate to be a bother. And it might be nice just to get out once in awhile.  Although when I think about getting a car, I start thinking about the cost of gas, the taxes, renewing my license..." (not knowing where you are going, I think to myself...)
  "True! I don't think it would be worth it."  I laugh. "I think it would be better if you just got yourself a driver. That way, you won't get lost and you won't have to worry about all those taxes."
  "A driver? Oh no.  I am not in the market to get another husband!" Hmmm. 

We arrived at the doctor's, and Nana greeted everyone with a smile and a laugh. She was brought into the office and weighed-- she has lost 12 pounds since moving to Compass. (This may have a lot to do with the fact that she no longer forgets that she has already eaten... And she is no longer eating pancakes with sugared strawberries and whipped cream every morning.. but I will keep my eye on this.)
   She greeted the doctor and said that she is feeling great.  As always, her vital signs were perfect-- heartrate 60, bp 110/64, afebrile.  She showed the doctor a few spots on her skin ("I think my Alzheimers is showing") and spoke of how happy she is in her new home.
    The doctor looked at Becky and I and said, "Her laughter is back."  I looked at her, a little puzzled.
She went on, "It is clear that the move to a dementia care unit was the right one.  Your Mom had lost a bit of her laughter and her wit at the last visit, which was worrying.  But it is definitely back.  Her other home was nice, but she needed more but didn't even know it.  It's like when you are banging your head against a wall and you have a headache-- but you don't realize that you have a headache until you stop banging your head."
   We headed back to Compass. 
  "This has been fun!  I've enjoyed this visit with you two."
Becky and I agreed.
  "I've been thinking about picking up a car, so I can run an errand or two..."