Monday, May 31, 2021

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

I did Mom's side of the fam yesterday, John will hit Seneca next time he comes home. That hill scares me. What a way to go!

Mom is settling in. Hopefully her at-home therapy will help. She is still very weak and tired. I don't know what I expected at rehab, but an 84 year old woman who had a cancerous mass removed and had staples in her for over half the time at rehab . . . and who had been  bed bound for months before that, well clearly my expectations were ridiculous. Hopefully her at home therapy will help. Her blood pressure is low, the nurse is trying to line up some blood work and then we will evaluate with her GP. Her appetite is good. I'm glad we got the hospital bed. It makes things easier on everybody. Except Mom and Joe can't really work it. I find mother in interesting positions sometimes. I'm sure they'll get the hang of it eventually. LOL I don't get what is so hard about the up and down arrows, but like John says, everybody needs some way to pass the time. Just like the TV remote, mom likes to work it upside down. Oh well. 

The bath aide came today, a lovely, sweet girl. But Kathleen can only take so much of that. She called and said she was at the front door but nobody was answering. We really should get a doorbell. Anyway she says "I'm running a little early, I'm here but no one is answering." I said well, we were expecting you at 2:00, but come on in! LOL I mean it was 12:30!  She told me she meant to schedule us at 1:00, but she is running ahead. OK. Fine. She comes in mom's room, mom is dozing, and she asks how she is doing, is she tired today? I told the aide Mom ate a good dinner (I made pot roast, we always eat early on Sundays), and the aide says "Oh good! She had a good meal when I was here Friday too, I found a tomato in her bed." OMG What must she think!? LOL I got the giggles over that one.  Then I left to go drink a couple beers at my friends' house. I don't know what happens here when I'm at work, but whatever! Mom and Joe get along just fine.  LOL She has OT, PT and bath aide this week. That is the busiest schedule any Morris Mallaney has had for a long time.

I went and sat and drank a few beers with my friend yesterday afternoon on her front porch, had a few beers with another couple this afternoon, good friends, and having lunch with another friend tomorrow at the park. Praise be, covid social isolation sucks! I'm glad things are starting to get back to normal. On the plus side I only need 2 beers and I'm done! Yikes. I remember Mom and Dad sitting on the front porch at the farm, and thinking how boring it was. I'd love to sit on a front porch with them now!

I got new license plates, and went out to try to change them. OMG I couldn't budge the screws. I mentioned it to the maintenance guy at work, and he sprayed some razzle dazzle stuff on there to loosen up the screws, and got one out, they were stripped and rusty and a mess, but then the other one broke off. He was kind enough to drill it out for me and find new screws and put on the new plate for me. Its too bad the new plate came with the sticker on or I would have stuck it on the old plate. It ended up being a pain in the ass. Not for me really, but for him. But anyways if you have an older vehicle (mine is a 2010, and I can't remember the last time I got new plates), do yourself a favor and give your bolts or screws or whatever they are a turn when you put on your new sticker. Save yourself (or a kindly friend) a headache down the road!

Have a good week all!

Kay 











Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Home

Mom made it home today. She is exhausted. Hopefully after a good nights sleep in her own (new hospital) bed, she will feel better. A long day for her. 

She kept telling me she needed more clothes at rehab, but I never got any laundry sent home, just one small load. Well, it seems that a stack of pillows got set on top of mom's primary bag of clothing I sent over  the first few days she was in rehab and there it sat. Luckily they cleaned out her closet today and sent them home. So I do not have much laundry to do at least. Mystery solved. I'm sure she wondered why I did not send her favorite clothes over, and here they were sitting in the closet over there! LOL Rehab is a different story when you can't go into the room and go through the closet and can only visit through 4 inches of an open window!

Home health care will be coming for a while, which is nice. Hopefully we can get mom settled in for another long spell at home. Fingers crossed! I told Mom you were all thinking of her, thank you. 

Kay





Sunday, May 2, 2021

May Days

Since Mom is in quarantine at Park Pointe it was nice to see her in person one night this week. Unfortunately it was at the ER, one of her staples came loose! LOL The home always calls if something is going on, and I didn't need to go, but I did not want to pass up an in-person visit. We enjoyed our visit. Staple is in a spot that sees a lot of action, right around the curve of her belly button. 

I was under the weather a bit this week, ended up taking Friday off, and it helped. I'm feeling better, shook off my bug. I hadn't been over to the home because I was worn out after work, and Joe wasn't sure where to go, but yesterday we made it over there. Mom's bed is right by the window so we can chat there. I saw a smart lady with a chair down a ways. The window only opens a few inches so it is a little awkward if you don't have strong thighs. Having just fat thighs, they objected a bit. LOL  Now that Joe is comfortable knowing where to go he'll be over more often, I'm sure. He already ran over once today, Mom needed some chapstick. He leaves the stuff at the desk, and then goes behind the building to mom's window. You can park right near the room, which is nice. Mom was sitting up in the recliner today.  That is good therapy for her because I couldn't get her in a chair unless John was home for a visit. I think with the loose staple they will take it easier on therapy until those are out. She seems to be coming along slowly, but that is to be expected, she has been going downhill for months. She was complaining about bland food so I sent her beloved salt shaker and seasoned pepper over, I'm sure that will help. 

I don't like the social isolation, but there is nothing to be done about that, darn Covid! Her voice is stronger on the phone, which is a good sign. 

Have a good week all!

Kay