My MIL

We’ve been concerned about my mother-in-law’s (MIL) memory for some time now. It started with repetitive story telling, the inability to get things accomplished around the house that she says she wants to get done (this is a sequencing problem), how much work it takes to keep one’s octogenarian body together as an excuse for not doing the things she says she wants to do but can’t etc… It’s been an ever-growing constellation of symptoms. This fall a thick confusion of all things phone/cell phone/internet reared its head and made my heart fall. The communication conundrum is still afoot. My DH set her up with a new email address, which she has only managed to use, on her own, once (he will make her a crib sheet of the three clicks it takes to break into her inbox). She somehow managed to cancel her landline service and doesn’t know how or why. Evidently the provider is scheduled to make a site visit to reconnect tomorrow. On the upside, she is now consistently using her new smart phone to make calls.

All this has shaken my otherwise unflappable DH. He will spend time with her on Tuesday and is going to have her add him to all her utilities so he can keep track of payment, and be the technical contact. Next step is to set up those utilities on autopay.

I am thankful that my MIL is willing to accept my DH’s help in all of this, and that she isn’t angry or accusative about the things that are falling down around her, like my mom was. She is aware and transparent about not being ‘as sharp as she once was.’