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Mom To-day
My mother is still
living alone in her condominium and she is very content.
She has a caregiver who comes to her place four days a week from 10AM to
4PM. They have a routine that they
follow every morning, starting with mom playing the piano for Una. Then they do
some chores such as make the bed, put out the garbage and tidy up. Una does the
grocery shopping for mom and then they go out to the mall to window shop and
they usually have lunch there. This keeps mom active and it stimulates her mind.
She loves to get dressed up and go out. Whenever
she sees a mother with a baby or children she has to stop that mother and tell
her how lovely these precious children are.
On the days that my mother is
alone she sometimes goes out for walks and will go to get her hair done. This
requires a little patience but I try to let my mother do what she is able to do.
I call her to tell her she has a hair appointment in one hour, so that she can
get dressed up to go out. Then in fifteen minutes I call her again to make sure
she remembers and she usually tells me her hair is perfectly fine. I talk her
into going to get her hair done and then hang up. About ten minutes later I call
again and ask her what she is doing. She usually tells me that she is watching
T.V. so I remind her again that the hairdresser is waiting for her and she
should put her coat on and leave. If I am lucky (and the hairdresser) she will
leave and make it there.
I always call her in
about two hours and ask her if she got her hair done. She NEVER can remember so
I tell her to look in the mirror and tell me if it looks nice.
I get such a feeling
of accomplishment when this all works out. I guess it makes me feel that my
mother’s Alzheimer’s has not won out.
Mom loves to be with me so I
take her with me when I run errands and we have a chance to talk. She loves to
go out for dinner so the grandchildren often invite her and she loves to see
their children.
When we have conversations mom
cannot remember what you tell her for more than about fifteen minutes. She is
always asking me who my children are and is always surprised to hear that I am
old enough to have had these kids.
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