Monday "Memories" With My Mom

     Wow, the weeks are really flying by.  Honestly, I was only able to squeeze in one visit to my mom this past week.  Last Tuesday we had a meeting scheduled with my mom's Area Agency on Aging case manager, Beth.  I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone (besides me) advocating for my mom and helping to get her proper care.  I look forward to these meetings, and at this point we are just "tweaking" things since my mom is doing relatively well right now (knock on wood). 
     The Agency is notified when anything happens with my mom.  For example, her recent seizure she had which was witnessed by the medical staff at my mom's place.  Beth called me shortly after that and wanted to know more about it and my mom's history relating to the seizures.  It is actually hard for me to get used to having someone else being her advocate -- in a good way!
     So, my concerns were making sure the staff is aware that if my mom says "I already took a shower", that does not mean "she already took a shower".  That means, she has no sense of time and simply "thinks" she took a shower recently.  So, now they are supposed to give shower assistance at least twice weekly regardless and notify me if my mom refuses "shower help".  Also, I asked if my mom could be escorted to one or two social activities per week.  There are activities in the building my mom would loved to participate in, but because she has no sense of keeping track of time, she is not taking advantage of these things. 
     My mom has also had a few friends visit recently.  Her good friends, Diane and Gayle came for separate visits.  Also, my mom's brother and sister-in-law (a/k/a my uncle and aunt) came for their first visit.  It is so comforting to me and important for my mom to keep in contact with friends and family.  The longer my mom has known someone, the more of a connection she has with them as her long term memory is quite strong.  There will likely come a time when she no longer remembers names or recognizes faces, so the connections she makes now will keep her strong.
     She has also been calling me more now, which is always a good sign if she is able to complete a phone call and get through to me.  Happy for the quality of life she is able to enjoy!!!