Has it been another week already? It has been an unusual week for all of us because Erin and 9 week old Elsie have been here visiting. Eli went home to be back to work, but we have been enjoying daughter and newest granddaughter. Janice has still been coming over everyday so that "the girls" can get out and do stuff and not have to care for Mom. Julie took the week off from work to hang out with her sisters, nephew and nieces. For the most part, Mom has been enchanted by the baby but nonetheless vocal about things because she had her own "sons and daughters." We pat her too hard, she cries too much and we should take her to the doctor, she wants a bottle, she wants to go home, she is going to walk any day now, that swing is going to make her dizzy...you get the gist. Anyway, there have been a lot of people around here every day and every night and Mom is often confused and often neglected, I'm afraid.
We did have a couple incidents early in the week, one of which is work mention. I provided Janice with a calendar/record book in order to document Mom's activities throughout the day in order to know what her day looks like while I am gone. I did this for many reasons, a few of which are so that I would know how much Mom is sleeping, what she is eating or not eating and what her activities are as Janice would not know what we would perceive as "out of the ordinary." On the first day of record keeping, I read that Mom had refused some medication, walked to the mailbox, gone through the mail and retrieved what was addressed to her, and had only Nonni's and ice cream throughout the day, refusing anything else. I had a talk with Mom, then about her health and safety saying that it was not safe for her to walk to the mailbox without her walker in 105 degree heat. It was not healthy for her to refuse her medication and nutritious lunch to drink coffee and eat Nonni's and ice cream throughout the day. Nor was it healthy, mentally to sleep all day. Needless to say, Mom did not appreciate the sentiment and became defensive, telling Joe about it when he got home. She even included tears. By the next day all - and I do mean all, was forgotten. I have had to tell Janice that it may require physical re-direction and locked doors to fumble with as well as a phone call to me to be the bad guy.
And the coin collection! Mom got David, with my nod to him that it was okay, to get the boxes and books of coin collections down from the top shelf in the closet. I thought she just wanted to be reassured that it was there and touching it made it real. Mom has mentioned it many times, but we kept them out of her reach. Lately, she has been obsessed by it, so on that day, I thought "what's the harm?" So, you know I am leading up to something - the coin collection has been taken out of the original settings and put in tubes and tubs and has been reduced to about $17.50. It is still coin collection. Nothing is missing as far as I can tell, and I did check her pocketful of quarters at IHOP last night. It kept Mom busy for the better part of an afternoon, going through the coins, sorting, stacking, counting. An afternoon well spent if she enjoyed it and I'll deal with the "collection" part of it later.
You know I could go on about a lot of other piddly other things, but mostly I want you to know that Mom is well, there have been no crises for a long time and when she wants to, can enjoy her life. And that is our story this week.
We did have a couple incidents early in the week, one of which is work mention. I provided Janice with a calendar/record book in order to document Mom's activities throughout the day in order to know what her day looks like while I am gone. I did this for many reasons, a few of which are so that I would know how much Mom is sleeping, what she is eating or not eating and what her activities are as Janice would not know what we would perceive as "out of the ordinary." On the first day of record keeping, I read that Mom had refused some medication, walked to the mailbox, gone through the mail and retrieved what was addressed to her, and had only Nonni's and ice cream throughout the day, refusing anything else. I had a talk with Mom, then about her health and safety saying that it was not safe for her to walk to the mailbox without her walker in 105 degree heat. It was not healthy for her to refuse her medication and nutritious lunch to drink coffee and eat Nonni's and ice cream throughout the day. Nor was it healthy, mentally to sleep all day. Needless to say, Mom did not appreciate the sentiment and became defensive, telling Joe about it when he got home. She even included tears. By the next day all - and I do mean all, was forgotten. I have had to tell Janice that it may require physical re-direction and locked doors to fumble with as well as a phone call to me to be the bad guy.
And the coin collection! Mom got David, with my nod to him that it was okay, to get the boxes and books of coin collections down from the top shelf in the closet. I thought she just wanted to be reassured that it was there and touching it made it real. Mom has mentioned it many times, but we kept them out of her reach. Lately, she has been obsessed by it, so on that day, I thought "what's the harm?" So, you know I am leading up to something - the coin collection has been taken out of the original settings and put in tubes and tubs and has been reduced to about $17.50. It is still coin collection. Nothing is missing as far as I can tell, and I did check her pocketful of quarters at IHOP last night. It kept Mom busy for the better part of an afternoon, going through the coins, sorting, stacking, counting. An afternoon well spent if she enjoyed it and I'll deal with the "collection" part of it later.
You know I could go on about a lot of other piddly other things, but mostly I want you to know that Mom is well, there have been no crises for a long time and when she wants to, can enjoy her life. And that is our story this week.
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