Thanksgiving Dinner
Dinner went very well. The company was delightful. The meal delicious. None of the things I worried about regarding mom came to fruition. While she was subdued, she did jut fine. At one point she was shadowing me. Worried that she wanted to talk about returning to the Island, I helped out with dishes knowing […]
Yet Another Change of Plan
I learned last night that my former mother-in-law has had a C-dif relapse. This means she is back in isolation at the skilled nursing facility. It also means she is likely ‘colonized’ with the infection. Due to her age and dementia, aggressive therapies (fecal transplants) are not appropriate for Jane, so now other plans are […]
Change of Plan…
Jane did not make it to my daughter’s community yesterday. Evidently the driver bringing her (about a 2-hour trip), returned her to the skilled nursing facility because she kept taking off her seatblet and couldn’t stay still. The plan is to have her come over by cabulance on Saturday, with someone who will ride in […]
Former Mother-in-Law
My former mother-in-law, Jane, moves into my daughter’s community today. She has healed up from a robust C-dif infection in skilled nursing, and is ready for a respite stay. This will turn into living in AL full-time at the end of 30 days. Sound familiar? At 95 she is showing swifter onset of dementia symptoms […]
A Reprieve
Mom called my daughter early last night, concerned about Thanksgiving plans. She had forgotten what we’d told her Saturday night. By the end of their conversation mom agreed it would be easier to stay in AL through the holidays. That girl possesses a magic wand. Let’s hope it sticks, not because I think mom can […]
To Lie or Not
This compelling New Yorker Article from October 8th of this year, shares various learned expert’s opinions on whether we should use ‘gentle deception’ with our loved ones living with dementia, or not. While I understand the stated pitfalls of lying to a dementia patient, joining my mother in her reality, rather than dragging her into mine, is […]
Island House Nibble
Today’s house nibble was a goody. The owner of the body shop, where mom took the Honda attack vehicle for periodic body panel replacements, is desperately looking for housing for one of their techs, or the tech is going to leave the Island. We messaged on and off all day. I set up a showing […]
Mom’s Escalation
Today started with housecleaning (de-dusting room-by-room after a summer either away, or in the garden), and a trip to the dentist for my cleaning, which I’d had to reschedule three times. I was relaxed, happy even to indulge in this little piece of self-care. My DH texted, as I waited for my appointment, saying he’d […]
Inadequate
I’m feeling inadequate this morning because I wasn’t able to handle, or distract my mother last night. In the middle of stewing on how inadequate I feel, I recalled how inadequate my mother made me feel as a child, mostly in terms of academics. “Your father is a calculus whiz! Why aren’t your math grades […]
Dementia Dance - Travels with Mom 