Mom’s update November 20, 2011
I started the day with mom today. Today is Ava’s 19th birthday. I went to the bagel store in the morning to get my breakfast and something for mom. Today I got her turkey bacon to add to her eggs that she gets for breakfast. I then went across the street to CVS to print out the pictures I took yesterday of mom’s house. I took many pictures of each room from all different angles. I got to CVS and had to wait for them to open.
When I arrived mom was lying in her bed with her eyes open. She was happy to see me. I fixed her in the bed and did the whole routine; hearing aids, glasses, and ice water. Breakfast came and I set her up with her turkey bacon and fixed her oatmeal. I brought a Tony Bennett CD, Duets II. I played it for mom and her roommate during breakfast. After breakfast, I took out the pictures. I put them in order from walking in the back door, into the living room, then the kitchen and then down the hallway to the bedrooms. I showed her the dining room and she was confused at first but then things started to look familiar.
I labeled the back of each picture as to what room it was. She asked a lot of very relevant questions. At times, she had a difficult time labeling all of the items. She would be able to if I gave her either the first letter or the first sound of the word. She wanted me to hold up the pictures as if they were walls to make a 3d image of the room. She would point to a part of the room to the right or left, off the picture out in space, and say, “Is this where the kitchen is?” or “Is this where the dining room is?” She thought there was too many nick knacks. She said, “Who is going to clean all these things?” Mom said, “This cleaning lady must have fainted when she saw all this STUFF!”
I was trying to describe how we moved her bed and that when you walk into your room the bed is right there. Mom said, “My bed is in the living room?” I said to her, “No! What do you think you are, Willie Wonka? We moved your bed to the other side of your bedroom.” Mom said, “All I see are things to clean.”
I only took pictures of three of the walls in her bedroom and it was making her crazy. She kept asking about the wall with the bedroom door and the closets. Oh well, I tried.
After the pictures, I put in a movie for mom and her roommate. Her roommate’s daughter-in-law took out movies form the library for them to watch. Today we watched “The Matchmaker” with Tony Perkins, Shirley Booth and Shirley MacLaine. It is Hello Dolly without the music. It took an hour for someone to come take mom to the bathroom this morning. I kept going out to ask, but no one came. It is so frustrating. Mom didn’t have to go immediately today, she actually was able to wait, but that’s not the point. The feeling was there an hour ago.
Con and mom looked at the movie book and mom was able to answer questions and she was able to remember a lot of movies and actors. Lunch came and she ate lunch. After lunch, they went outside and walked around the building. Mom had to use the bathroom and the CNA said she had to get another person. It took forever to get someone to come to take her. She then left mom in the bathroom for a long time. They stayed with mom for a while longer and then left.
Later in the evening mom started to cry a lot. She is crying that she wants to go home. Dad told her not to worry because she IS coming home. The CNA came in the room to put her to bed and said she was going to put her to bed and then she would put her on the bedpan. Dad said, “No, she goes to the bathroom.” The CNA left and never came back. Dad had to go get the nurse and then he and the CNA put her on the toilet. Weekends are crazy!
Dad stayed with mom until she was put to bed.
Peace and Be Well,
~Claudia
No comments:
Post a Comment