Today was tough on so many levels, yet so gratifying at the end. My mother suffers from dementia, her condition is not to the point yet where she doesn't recognize me or DW, far from it. She gets easily confused, and I knew the day would come where I would have to check out nursing homes for her.
Mom is such a caring person, she didn't feel fulfilled unless she had someone to look after, now that the shoe is on the other foot, I was curious to see how responsive she'd be to the move. She had lived on her own for 7 plus years, and loved her freedom. The freedom, however, turned to loneliness, and the people at the senior center where she was living pretty much do their own thing.
As incredible luck would have it, it took DW and I less than 7 days to have her admitted to the best nursing home in our area. I called her this morning to pick her up for the drive to the home, and I was very apprehensive as to her mental state. DW had left an hour before I did to get some clothes ready for her, and by the time I got there, she was propped up on the bed, smiling from ear to ear, she couldn't wait to go!
As we were helping her adjust to her new surroundings, my heart just sank at the number of people whose lives have been confined to a wheelchair, just staring into space. I'm not stupid, I know the disease my mother has will gradually worsen, but this is all about improving the quality of her life now. DW and I had to fill out some papers, and we returned to her room to find she was taken to the lunch area, where she was sitting with 2 other women, laughing and carrying on. To know that my mother no longer has a care in the world is everything a son could ever ask for, and I saw that look on her face that told me she will be just fine, and maybe even meet some new friends.
The staff at the home couldn't have been nicer to her, or to us. In this day and age, people are far too quick to criticize, too slow to praise, and you can best believe I will be writing a letter to the staff thanking them for making this difficult day turn out ok!!
Mom is such a caring person, she didn't feel fulfilled unless she had someone to look after, now that the shoe is on the other foot, I was curious to see how responsive she'd be to the move. She had lived on her own for 7 plus years, and loved her freedom. The freedom, however, turned to loneliness, and the people at the senior center where she was living pretty much do their own thing.
As incredible luck would have it, it took DW and I less than 7 days to have her admitted to the best nursing home in our area. I called her this morning to pick her up for the drive to the home, and I was very apprehensive as to her mental state. DW had left an hour before I did to get some clothes ready for her, and by the time I got there, she was propped up on the bed, smiling from ear to ear, she couldn't wait to go!
As we were helping her adjust to her new surroundings, my heart just sank at the number of people whose lives have been confined to a wheelchair, just staring into space. I'm not stupid, I know the disease my mother has will gradually worsen, but this is all about improving the quality of her life now. DW and I had to fill out some papers, and we returned to her room to find she was taken to the lunch area, where she was sitting with 2 other women, laughing and carrying on. To know that my mother no longer has a care in the world is everything a son could ever ask for, and I saw that look on her face that told me she will be just fine, and maybe even meet some new friends.
The staff at the home couldn't have been nicer to her, or to us. In this day and age, people are far too quick to criticize, too slow to praise, and you can best believe I will be writing a letter to the staff thanking them for making this difficult day turn out ok!!
