Maybe we’ll cover more territory today because it’s the longest day of the year. It has come to my attention how much time I am wasting when I allow mom to put up the same fight every time I bring up a change. I’m not expecting this to be easy for either one of us but it could be easier if she would consider working with me once in awhile. I’ve been calming myself by reading the thesaurus – looking for new words to stretch my definition of patience. “Good-natured tolerance of delay” seems fitting.
I just wanted to get a quick idea of how the color would work before mom decides to return the comforter – Green is good.
Tuesday I put a pitch in for visiting another “home”. It had taken a few days of rest from the terror of me bringing up any kind of future life style change. I padded the plan by offering a few “shop-stops” we would make while we were out. I’ve grown to rely on just mentioning “shopping” as an instant mood elevator. Mom was surprisingly agreeable and remembered Park Meadows from a visit we made a few years ago. This visit seemed to be an all around hit for mom. That was unexpected and it was nice to see her participating by asking questions. However, this good reaction eventually faded. Most of the good feelings return to the default – I’m not ready to move.
Various fall-outs have finally made mom realize that the option of having someone come into her home and help her might not be so bad after all. This was not up for discussion a week ago. Now she is clear that continuing to be on her own is no longer one of her choices. This understanding is progress but it is hard for her to admit she does need assistance a lot more than before. It’s a slow but necessary realization and a lot like accepting no longer being able to drive.
I’m happy to say we have an appointment with a Johnson County Social Worker on Monday and will find out what kind of in-home services are available for her. She seems to be fine with this meeting. Yes!