October 2, 2012
It is
obvious that my mom has transitioned to a different phase. For everything,
there is a season.
On
Saturday, 9/29, I was about to leave the house.
As I walked past her, I tickled her shoulder and said, “I’ll be right
back.” When I reached the front door, I
heard ask my husband, “Who was that?”
When I returned, I went into the kitchen and began to cook supper. She again turned to my husband and said, “Who
IS that?” My little mama hasn't known
who I am since Friday (9/28). And she has been irritable. The little lady that
sits across from me is not the lady that raised me. When you are taking care of
your mom (vs. a patient with whom you have no history), it is hard sometimes to
reconcile the differences between the past and present without being irritable.
Prayers are definitely needed. :)
October
4, 2012
Reminiscing
with my mom.... telling her about my childhood... growing up on a lot of land
with a pond...ducks, guineas, chickens, pigeons...a cow named Pearl, a cow
named Xenia (Pearl's baby), a bull named Ferdinand, a horse named Josie, and a
horse named Topper AND a parakeet named Joey. Joey would say, "Joey is a
pretty bird! RICHARD! RICHARD!" My brother, Richard, was ALWAYS getting
yelled at. Todd was a teenager, always out and about. And I stayed under the
radar. :)
The
reminiscing actually was tough on my mom.
She began to cry b/c she had very little memory of anything. I followed the “rules” and just talked about
all the fun we had and didn’t ask “Remember?”
We put on some music to distract her and all was well.
October
6, 2012
Well.... Little Mama and I have had an
interesting conversation this morning. So glad she has maintained her ability
to have "small talk". It allows her to be very congenial and cover
quite well. Here are some of the questions she has asked me this morning...each
one multiple times:
How
have you been?
Where is your family?
How
many children do you have?
Do
you have grandchildren?
What
do you do?
She hasn't been here long...but she likes
it. The people are nice and pleasant. It's a pretty place. It's nice to have
pets around. She doesn't get to see many people...but that's okay. People get
busy and have their own lives to lead. She doesn't get to see her children very
often...not sure where they are...but that's okay, too. And where is your
family, she asks. Kind of cloudy out...or is it. She had a good night, slept
well, she said.
When
she asked me "What do you do," I told her that I'm a realtor and I
take care of my mom. "Oh," she said, "How old is she?" I
replied, "She is 91 and has dementia. She lives with us." I am amazed
at the ability of the human spirit to adapt to a situation. Just imagine being
totally lost with nothing looking familiar - not even your own daughter sitting
next to you - and still being socially acceptable. The art of survival. :)
And that has been the start of my day.
No comments:
Post a Comment