A trip to the doctor is mom’s first outing in over one month.
It’s been smooth sailing for nearly one week now and I’m enjoying times and situations that I would like to see as the model for her daily routine. There are now four ladies at the dinner table which seems to keep it alive even though there is not too much conversation due to hearing issues. Mom still sits in her original place at the table. Her main enjoyment continues to be eavesdropping on the table of men directly behind her. From what I have been able to hear it is pretty much the same conversation every night. A man name Jim is the self appointed MC and the table topics are mostly limited to the war or sports.
Mom had a positive visit to the doctor and now weighs 84 lbs. That’s a new record for the year and now she’s worried about gaining weight. She keeps trying to grab the area around her mid-drift to show me where she is putting it on.
Mom with Betty waiting for the Christmas party doors to open.
There is Christmas activity everywhere and at this point I think I’ve have seen every version of “those” festive red Christmas sweaters. They’re all bursting with sparkling sequins, applique and little nicknacks – it can be over whelming to take in forty or fifty of them all in one sitting.
The new caregivers from Benefits of Home will start their “shadowing” on Monday morning after the first attempt failed last Wednesday morning. The new girl worked with Lucy and Anna for about two hours and then said she was sick and wondered who she should talk to about going home. This was not a good first impression for Benefits of Home to convince me that they will be able to handle what they are taking on beginning January 1, 2014. Poor Lucy is rightfully worried that her clients will now be left without enough care. It will be interesting for me to watch from the sidelines next week while I gather information about how much extra help I’ll need to set up for mom. My current favorite plan is to hire Anna. Mom really likes her, knows her very well now and will be missing her when she’s not around.