Update

Mood: Mmmm, still here
Hair: Yep, still here
Listening to: Warren Zevon “Mr Bad Example” CD [Finishing Touches]

I haven’t done an update on Mom lately.

My oldest sister put a deposit on the assisted-living apartment last week, with the plan of moving Mom in on Monday, or whenever she was discharged from the hospital. Apparently, one of the factors in that decision was the lack of availability of nursing home beds in the area. Marie found out that their church keeps a hospital bed for rent (?) for members who need to use it temporarily. So Mom would have a better bed, one that will help her get up, and one that will fit better than a queen-size mattress in her very small room.

[Suzie Lightning]

On their way to pick up my oldest niece, Elizabeth, at the airport Monday, Marie and Jan got a call from the doctor saying that he was going to discharge Mom. Oh, and that there was a bed available at the nursing home. String-pulling? Anyway, Marie made a snap decision: Mom’s at the nursing home, where Medicare will pay the full ride, and where Mom can get physical therapy.

We are living in hope that said therapy will include convincing her that she actually CAN get herself out of chairs and beds; she doesn’t really need someone to help her. Mom has reached the point where she really wants people to do stuff for her all the time. Whine-whine, martyrdom, etc. I don’t think she’ll get away with that at the nursing home, and definitely not in assisted living.

[Model Citizen]

So Mom’s been in the nursing home since Monday afternoon. I haven’t talked to her, because I’m a bad daughter. And because I haven’t been home in the evenings this week. I have to call her this afternoon when I get home.

I keep hearing her words from my childhood, when both of my grandmas were in the same home: "Don’t ever put me in a nursing home." Great. Thanks for that heaping helping of guilt, Mom.

[Angel Dressed in Black]

Marie is getting slightly wacky-crackers about the situation, so I’ve put Elizabeth on guard that I’m going to ask her to tell me if she (Elizabeth) thinks I really should come and help out soon. Marie will say she’s fine, so I need a slightly impartial observer. I may be flying next week. Yecchhhh.

So that about sums up what’s going on.

Meanwhile, Jean (my other sister) is in denial about how serious this is. She’s making me almost as crazy as Mom is.

Tolstoy’s aphorism about families is entirely appropriate here.


****Time to put away the frosted flakes, i.e. lunch. I need to get to work.*****