The Adventures of Caring for a Mom With Alzheimer's Disease
Yay! A Monday post...on Monday!! Thankfully, our third trip to the dentist was relatively uneventful and a very short visit. Apparently, the dentist decided she did not need a filling afterall!!?? However, that didn't stop my mom from swiping another one of those full sized calendars off the counter on the way out of the dentist. I gently reminded her that I picked one up from her last visit, which she doubted wholeheartedly. In fact, she seemed to have no recall of ever being at this dentist before. We arrived back at my mom's just in time for me to escort her to the exercise room for her 10 am chair exercise class. She is supposed to attend this class daily, but I am not sure that she is being escorted there. It may also be that "The Don" is visiting with my mom at that time.
Recently, I did some outlet shopping (more on that later) and stumbled upon a really good deal at the Crocs store. I personally was not really in the market, but thought it might be a solution to my mom's recent and continued determination not to wear her "winter shoes". (Remember, the nice shoes that aren't winter shoes -- that she won't wear no matter what we seem to do!!) I picked up some pink crocs with fur in them for my mom. They were only $15 and when I paired them with my girlfriend's purchase they were about $12.50 (2 for $25). At least they offer more support than her slippers do. Amazingly, she loves them and has not referred to them as "winter shoes" in spite of the furry inside...go figure!!?
My brother, Mike, came through with his handy work recently and swapped out my mom's showerhead for a more convenient removable handheld version for safety's sake. He also rewired my mom's cable tv so we no longer require a cable box or dvr as they were becoming too expensive for my mom's needs. I always appreciate any help and after spending waaaaay too much time on the phone with the cable company trying to reduce my mom's phone and cable tv bill, I am glad to finally cross this off my list.
This morning, we were excited to have a visit from my mom's cousin, Sandy, and her husband, Owen. They were traveling through Michigan from North Carolina and thankfully took time to swing by for a visit with my mom in her new place. My "Aunt Sandy" has always been a great support and friend to my mom. In earlier years, my mom would visit them in North Carolina. I have gotten to know Sandy better these last few years in giving her updates on my mom and her health. She is very compassionate and understands completely the role of a family caregiver as she herself took care of her own parents for years.
When they arrived, Sandy was "lucky" enough to find my mom in the dining room for breakfast -- with "The Don". So, they caught a glimpse into their relationship (which seems to be continuing in spite of his family's efforts to deter it). We then whisked my mom back to her apartment for a tour, visited briefly, took some pictures, shared some pictures and then went out for breakfast. (Yes, my mom had two mini breakfasts!) Sandy and my mom shared many family memories, particularly from their younger days. My mom remembers that she stood up in Sandy and Owen's wedding (51 years ago!), remembers family gatherings where their aunt would play the piano, and was especially focused on asking Sandy if she remembers when they used to try to guess who the "masked" Santa Claus was at family parties!!
Sandy and Owen travel extensively and remain very active and busy which I think is great! I am soooo grateful they made time to stop to see my mom and know it made my mom happy, too. It is always nice for my mom to receive a visit from someone besides me and my brother and I found out she follows my blog so I wanna wish them safe travels!!!
Yay! A Monday post...on Monday!! Thankfully, our third trip to the dentist was relatively uneventful and a very short visit. Apparently, the dentist decided she did not need a filling afterall!!?? However, that didn't stop my mom from swiping another one of those full sized calendars off the counter on the way out of the dentist. I gently reminded her that I picked one up from her last visit, which she doubted wholeheartedly. In fact, she seemed to have no recall of ever being at this dentist before. We arrived back at my mom's just in time for me to escort her to the exercise room for her 10 am chair exercise class. She is supposed to attend this class daily, but I am not sure that she is being escorted there. It may also be that "The Don" is visiting with my mom at that time.
Recently, I did some outlet shopping (more on that later) and stumbled upon a really good deal at the Crocs store. I personally was not really in the market, but thought it might be a solution to my mom's recent and continued determination not to wear her "winter shoes". (Remember, the nice shoes that aren't winter shoes -- that she won't wear no matter what we seem to do!!) I picked up some pink crocs with fur in them for my mom. They were only $15 and when I paired them with my girlfriend's purchase they were about $12.50 (2 for $25). At least they offer more support than her slippers do. Amazingly, she loves them and has not referred to them as "winter shoes" in spite of the furry inside...go figure!!?
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| The New Pink Crocs |
This morning, we were excited to have a visit from my mom's cousin, Sandy, and her husband, Owen. They were traveling through Michigan from North Carolina and thankfully took time to swing by for a visit with my mom in her new place. My "Aunt Sandy" has always been a great support and friend to my mom. In earlier years, my mom would visit them in North Carolina. I have gotten to know Sandy better these last few years in giving her updates on my mom and her health. She is very compassionate and understands completely the role of a family caregiver as she herself took care of her own parents for years.
When they arrived, Sandy was "lucky" enough to find my mom in the dining room for breakfast -- with "The Don". So, they caught a glimpse into their relationship (which seems to be continuing in spite of his family's efforts to deter it). We then whisked my mom back to her apartment for a tour, visited briefly, took some pictures, shared some pictures and then went out for breakfast. (Yes, my mom had two mini breakfasts!) Sandy and my mom shared many family memories, particularly from their younger days. My mom remembers that she stood up in Sandy and Owen's wedding (51 years ago!), remembers family gatherings where their aunt would play the piano, and was especially focused on asking Sandy if she remembers when they used to try to guess who the "masked" Santa Claus was at family parties!!
Sandy and Owen travel extensively and remain very active and busy which I think is great! I am soooo grateful they made time to stop to see my mom and know it made my mom happy, too. It is always nice for my mom to receive a visit from someone besides me and my brother and I found out she follows my blog so I wanna wish them safe travels!!!
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| Owen, Sandy, Mom on Mom's Balcony |
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| The Girls Chatting at Breakfast |
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| Mom and Her Dog -- "Muffin" |
1 comment:
I think it's great that she loves the Crocs!! I'm surprised with the "fur" she's not thinking Winter shoes - so good find Cindy!
How awesome that she was able to visit and recollect on some fun times from the past. I'm sure you enjoyed listening to the great stories :)
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