Time to Go Back Home

Interesting week.

Her mood swings seem to be intensifying.  We had an appointment at Wound Care to remove the rest of the stitches and see if she can return to her Memory Care home.  The doctor said that she was healing perfectly and that with home healthcare, she can go back and get out of rehab.  Joyful news, but getting there?  OMG.

She arrived crying.  Complaining that no one was cooperating with her, wouldn't allow her to change her clothes or go to the bathroom.  She was tremoring hard, which she does when she's not really in control of herself.  She was late, of course, because she wasn't cooperating, which meant that we fell behind a lot of people who got there on time.

Mom complained of being cold, so we sat outside while we waited for our appointment.  She was still grumping, so I messaged my brother Jay who'd posted a picture of our grandmother on FaceBook earlier in the day.  I couldn't find it, so I asked him to send it directly to me.

I got it pulled up and showed it to Mom.  She smiled and we talked about what we thought might be going on in this picture.  Where it was taken.  What kind of food was laid out and whose birthday it might be.  We talked about the art on the walls, the chairs, and the ugly wallpaper in the kitchen.  How pretty Grandma looked, in spite of the WHY-are-you-taking-a-picture-of-me look on her face.  (Maybe that picture was taken of her for today to calm her daughter down when nothing else would!)  When we finished talking about the picture, I pulled out the pudding I'd brought and gave it to Mom.  She lit up like a little kid and did the "gimmie" thing with her hands.  She was much more relaxed while we waited.

When we were finally done (after 6pm), I grabbed her paperwork and we went out to find the van already there.  She got loaded up and headed back to the rehab, while I ran home to get her supper - we'd already missed dinner at the rehab.  Egg salad, cucumbers, applesauce, more pudding.  I was going to make a copy of the orders for the rehab and discovered that I'd grabbed the wrong paperwork.  What are the odds of two women with the same first name (not a common one, either) having paperwork at the same office after regular hours???  I had to return it and get the right one on Friday.

Did that Friday morning, then took copies to the Memory Care home and rehab so we could get the wheels turning on getting Mom out of there.  Looks like Tuesday is the day she gets to sleep in her own bed, enjoy familiar surroundings and be with her friends.  Dad can visit too.

Mom is thrilled.  While she knows this rehab well, and loves the nurses, she got lonely.  Even though she's now had five different roommates, none of them stuck around for more than a couple of days.  Daily, she was mostly alone except for physical therapy and the quick visits from overworked nurses and CNAs.  And me.  Sometimes my brother Matt, brother Andy for a couple of days, and for one glorious week, my brother John and his wife, Mary.  But she's been in there a long time now mostly keeping company with her own mind, which is an addled thing much of the time.  I'm so glad she's going home.