A pretty similar week to those in the past.
Mom reads her paper and does her crosswords. It's still a challenge to get her to bathe, although they were able to manipulate her on Tuesday, so that was dealt with. Luckily her room is climate controlled (so she doesn't perspire as much - I guess that may be a good thing) as it is so muggy and hot at this writing. But, to her, it's winter with unusual weather.
She still ventures over to play BINGO! and enjoys the cookies and treats she wins. She goes on walks with Mo (her physical therapist), and Jean who visited on Wednesday.
When Jean came on Wednesday she found Mom in the Great Room sitting at a table with a glass of water. She was wearing her beige top and sandals, appropriate for the weather. They visited with another woman who was there to see her parents. They all knew one another's families and had a lovely chat. Mom interjected, at one point, that her mother loved to garden. This threw off the visitor who was amazed that our grandmother was still living. Jean cued her in and her confusion ceased. Whew!
Then they had lunch, which Mom ate sparingly.
Jean had brought Mom some blue hydrangeas and dahlias from her garden. Later, in Mom's room, Mom admired them against all the other flowers which adorn her sill; the hydrangeas and dahlias being the only real living ones as Jean had purchased the others from the Dollar Tree so Mom would have no need to keep tossing them out when they died (this does keep the cheeriness alive for her).
Jean had arrived in the morning, this time, to avoid the afternoon heat (she hasn't a/c in her car, and it was going to be a scorcher!). So she thought it might be nice to go outside for a bit. This led to changing out of the sandals and into socks and shoes. Her socks were the same ones she wears daily, and the staff hasn't been able to get them into the laundry (Mom is vigilant!). Then, Mom wanted to wear a jacket (remember, to her it's January). Jean talked her out of it.
When it was time to venture outside, Mom went into the loo to exit via the door that was in there. Whoops! Somehow it had disappeared! So, they went out the same way as the other residents. They admired the plants and Jean felt a pang of wistfulness espying the gazebo and recalling the days not long ago when they played Scrabble there. Perhaps it could still be done, but on another day when Connie was there.
She slipped out a little later than anticipated and left Mom in a relaxed and happy mood.
Today, Sunday, Mom walked into Larry's house looking a little tired. She was wearing her shoes and a light sweater over her shirt. She didn't look as though she'd exercised much in the past week, but that's tough to tell - it could be the heat.
She wasn't very talkative and it took some time before she began to make some sense.
When she entered she was asked what she would like to drink. She stated that she didn't want lemonade, as she could do that herself, and she was sketchy on the wine, and she'd had too much water this week, and tea was very much out of the question. So, my brother poured her a lemoade with some ice. Later, she was asking why his wine looked different and she was told that hers had ice. This sufficed.
We ate a goodly meal and then she took her meds as we sat outside on the patio while she enjoyed ice cream and berries. Then, soon it was time for us to leave.
On the way home she looked at all the lovely gardens in the area and stated, "I think it's wrong that people are oppressed into planting all these bushes and plants."
I asked her what she meant.
"When some people have too much power it forces others to submit, and it's just wrong!"
So much for people enjoying their gardens, I suppose.
"Now, how do you like the...." she asked.
"The what?"
"How do you like the things shouldn't be done in certain ways, but I suppose when we get there we'll see I did some of that this morning."
I didn't ask. I only signified that I heard her and that was enough.
She did ask if I'd spoken with Tony (myself). I asked if he had done something wrong, but she informed me that he took care of all her things and she knew she could rely on him. I replied that I couldn't think of a more honorable man than he. She agreed. My heart soared.
Her comments were then toward the skies and the reflections of buildings as we darted through traffic on the freeways.
When we arrived back at St. Anthony's we went to her room. I had her sign and initial some medical papers necessary to obtain her records, but this meant reading and re-reading several times (each was the first for her so I had to remind myself that frustration made no situation better). Finally she signed and when I asked her to initial some items we went back through the same routine. Then she handed it back to me and said, "I'm done." Oh well, all is good.
There is a significant change in her over the past year and if today is any indication she will decline further than what was expected on our part. And, yet, she is happily ensconced in her room which she calls home. A place where it is safe, routine is known, and she knows she'll be taken care of by a staff who obviously cares. It's all one could ask for.
Mom reads her paper and does her crosswords. It's still a challenge to get her to bathe, although they were able to manipulate her on Tuesday, so that was dealt with. Luckily her room is climate controlled (so she doesn't perspire as much - I guess that may be a good thing) as it is so muggy and hot at this writing. But, to her, it's winter with unusual weather.
She still ventures over to play BINGO! and enjoys the cookies and treats she wins. She goes on walks with Mo (her physical therapist), and Jean who visited on Wednesday.
When Jean came on Wednesday she found Mom in the Great Room sitting at a table with a glass of water. She was wearing her beige top and sandals, appropriate for the weather. They visited with another woman who was there to see her parents. They all knew one another's families and had a lovely chat. Mom interjected, at one point, that her mother loved to garden. This threw off the visitor who was amazed that our grandmother was still living. Jean cued her in and her confusion ceased. Whew!
Then they had lunch, which Mom ate sparingly.Jean had brought Mom some blue hydrangeas and dahlias from her garden. Later, in Mom's room, Mom admired them against all the other flowers which adorn her sill; the hydrangeas and dahlias being the only real living ones as Jean had purchased the others from the Dollar Tree so Mom would have no need to keep tossing them out when they died (this does keep the cheeriness alive for her).Jean had arrived in the morning, this time, to avoid the afternoon heat (she hasn't a/c in her car, and it was going to be a scorcher!). So she thought it might be nice to go outside for a bit. This led to changing out of the sandals and into socks and shoes. Her socks were the same ones she wears daily, and the staff hasn't been able to get them into the laundry (Mom is vigilant!). Then, Mom wanted to wear a jacket (remember, to her it's January). Jean talked her out of it.
When it was time to venture outside, Mom went into the loo to exit via the door that was in there. Whoops! Somehow it had disappeared! So, they went out the same way as the other residents. They admired the plants and Jean felt a pang of wistfulness espying the gazebo and recalling the days not long ago when they played Scrabble there. Perhaps it could still be done, but on another day when Connie was there.
She slipped out a little later than anticipated and left Mom in a relaxed and happy mood.
Today, Sunday, Mom walked into Larry's house looking a little tired. She was wearing her shoes and a light sweater over her shirt. She didn't look as though she'd exercised much in the past week, but that's tough to tell - it could be the heat.She wasn't very talkative and it took some time before she began to make some sense.
When she entered she was asked what she would like to drink. She stated that she didn't want lemonade, as she could do that herself, and she was sketchy on the wine, and she'd had too much water this week, and tea was very much out of the question. So, my brother poured her a lemoade with some ice. Later, she was asking why his wine looked different and she was told that hers had ice. This sufficed.
On the way home she looked at all the lovely gardens in the area and stated, "I think it's wrong that people are oppressed into planting all these bushes and plants."
I asked her what she meant."When some people have too much power it forces others to submit, and it's just wrong!"
So much for people enjoying their gardens, I suppose.
"Now, how do you like the...." she asked.
"The what?"
"How do you like the things shouldn't be done in certain ways, but I suppose when we get there we'll see I did some of that this morning."
I didn't ask. I only signified that I heard her and that was enough.
She did ask if I'd spoken with Tony (myself). I asked if he had done something wrong, but she informed me that he took care of all her things and she knew she could rely on him. I replied that I couldn't think of a more honorable man than he. She agreed. My heart soared.
Her comments were then toward the skies and the reflections of buildings as we darted through traffic on the freeways.
There is a significant change in her over the past year and if today is any indication she will decline further than what was expected on our part. And, yet, she is happily ensconced in her room which she calls home. A place where it is safe, routine is known, and she knows she'll be taken care of by a staff who obviously cares. It's all one could ask for.
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