7-22-2012

Tonight mom was ranting "I need a cigarette." Over and over, while digging through her purse, which is definitely out of the ordinary.

She was wearing the wrong glasses again, which is not.

I told her she doesn't smoke, and she got furious with me.  "When I'm horny i do. When i haven't seen my husband in weeks I do."

She proceeded to tell me Missy smokes.  When I told her that she doesn't she got angrier and said "Oh yes, she does. They caught her out in front off the cabins!"

She also talked about a McMichaels bus accident, and all kinds of interesting stories.

Just another day...

7-1-2012

Let's see... yesterday the power was out when I got to Mom's.  Luckily they had enough generator power to run the hallway lights, a few receptacles inside the main living area, and the elevators.  Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, including Mom... but visibly she is looking deteriorated the past few days.  She is very, very talkative...usually crisp and clear speech, with totally made up content....but I have been noticing that her eyes seem more sunken in, and she just looks much, much older.

Tonight she went on and on about her tryouts for this speech competition that she was finally asked to participate in.  She also told me her car was running great, and she was so relieved not to have to drive the old clunker anymore.

I brought her tv home with me today and hope to take it to the regional service center tomorrow.

6-26-2012

Well today was different!

I got to Mom's a little later than usual...it was after 8. She wasn't in the main room, and when I got to her room, she wasn't there either.  Her walker was there, but no Mom.

I went back out toward the main room and saw Jackie, one of the nurses.  'Have you seen my mom?'

"Oh my goodness Kim.  I was just trying to find the other nurse.  Your mother is too fast for us.  She's down in room 238."

Oh boy. :-)

I went down to 238 with Jackie, and there is Mom, sitting in someone else's living room with no pants on.  'Mom, what are you doing here?'


"I know I'm not supposed to be here.  I was trying to wash my clothes, and they were all filled up."

'OK, let's go back to your room.'  then Jackie said she was planning to go get her some clothes.

"Oh, my clothes are in there." Mom said.

Sure enough, her clothes were in the other woman's bedroom on the floor, and the other woman was in there trying to sleep.  We helped her get dressed and back to her room without making too big of a deal about it.

Aside from that, everything was ok.  She was glad that I was there so that I could hep her load the horses on the truck, because she couldn't do it herself.  She also told me my children had been wonderful and didn't give her any trouble at all today.

I really need to get my company's product built befoore I lose MY memory.  I feel so awful for her.  It must be terrifying to go in and out like that.

6-24-2012

Things were a little better today.  I had to find Mom's glasses again.  She said she was just sitting around waiting for "her" to get here so that she can take " Joey" home.

There was lots of talk about traveling with the kids, and that she had a great day with no kids to watch.  We were looking at jet picture frame and she was glad Paula had kids so that now mine have some little ones their age to play with.

She was also missing grandma alot today.

6-23-2012

Ok, today was a little weird.  Trish checked in on Mom while I was at Missy's orientation, and today was my first day back after not seeing her for 3.

She was in her room...tv still isn't working...and she was reading a book. I haven't seen her reading a book in a LONG time.


'Hi Mom.  What are you up to?'


"Well I'm not married, that's for sure. I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to help this man that doesn't speak English very well"

After that it was a little hard to put together what she was trying to tell me.  She kept losing her train of thought, and her vocabulary doesn't always hold together.  She thought she was 40 today, saying that several times, but the strange part was she kept trying to explain her conversation with this man.

It could have been one of the other residents, or her imagination, who knows.  But she was apparently advising him that he needed to get married, and that he needed a license for that, and something about him being mixed up about his room, and staying in hers for 3 days.  She figured that out when she noticed stains in the bathroom.

The whole thing was just very weird and I wanted to capture it for some reason.

The one of the nurses came in to help her get dressed for bed.  There were no other nurses at the nurses room, and the door was closed.  There is usually always someone there, though they were probably making medicine rounds.

6-17-2012

Today's visit with Mom was noteworthy.  I stopped by very early, on my way to work.  Mom had just finished breakfast and ate well.  I told her I was on my way to work... and she said -


"Well you have to work hard when you're running a business."

I had told her about my business a few weeks ago and was surprised (pleasantly) that she remembered it.

Then only a sentence or two later she said... "I still haven't seen your father.  It's been 6 days.  He could be one of those accidently they keep talking about.  I have no idea where he is."  She was obviously grief-stricken for a minute - "If you see him, just tell him to come home."

I just looked at her and said 'Sure Mom.  Is everything else ok?'


"Oh yeah."


'Do you know what year it is?'

She thought for a minute "1960....something....I know I'm close."

It was strange that she could be so alert and so out of touch at the same time.   Otherwise, she looked healthy today.

3-15-2012

Mom looked ok today.  I got there right after lunch, which she said was great.  Apparently they had chicken, which were all grown from the chicken farm right across the street.

The thing I wanted to capture today is that she was still in the wrong timezone.  She said again "I haven't seen your father in 5 days.  If you see him, please tell him that I love him and just want him to come home."

I knew better than to respond or question that.  I just changed the subject.  I tried bringing up the fact that she got to see Kenny and I together yesterday, and she made strange comments about how big he has grown, and that he does so much better talking.  Then she ranted a little bit about how Bea was always picking on him.

She was clearly in the past...but otherwise looked healthy and was in a good mood.