It seems to me, that after thousands of years of youngers caring for the elderly, the public sector would have come up with a special code for communication.
You know: when going to the bank with your 90-year-old mother, wouldn’t it be nice to simply wave your little pinky—and the bank teller would immediately know, “This one’s a little deaf! Speak loudly!”
Or an arch of the right eyebrow would mean, “My mom’s got the mental ability of a 5-year-old—go slow and simple!”
A left eyewink says: “This old geezer is sharp as a tack, don’t try to pull anything over on him and DON’T treat him like a child!”
My family, being more practical-minded, says it wouldn’t work after a while. We youngers would grow old and know the code. “Ah, “ but my husband says with a scratching of his chin, “you could counter-code back. This means ‘I’m not as crazy as she thinks!’”
The Chickadee Feeder 