Mother is 94. She started going down last November when she was in the sub-acute care at the hospital after surgery for a broken hip. Since January this year, she has had pneumonia twice. She has fallen many times as she forgets she can't walk and tries anyway.
Mother and I always laughed a lot at any and everything. It is true, laughter is the best medicine. When I put her in the wheel chair to take her to the potty, its " hold your feet up and pull in your wings (arms)", "Please don't ask me to wipe you, I just washed my hands". I always "doodle" her hair when I pass by her chair, she says "don't do that" and grins real big. She loves it, but would never admit it. She was never a hugger. I hug her every time she is up on her feet, I have to tell her that hugging is for me, not her. She grins and says OK, go ahead. I have set up a daily schedule for us that starts whenever she wakes up in the morning and goes from there. I get her up, take her to the potty, roll her to the table, give her a warm, wet wash cloth, tell her to was her face and hands, in that order. If she doesn't do it, I do it for her without a word. I talk to her continuously while I am preparing coffee and breakfast. We turn on the news and see what the other world is doing. When breakfast is over, I remove her bib and move her to her "pink chair" where she dozes for a couple of hours. During this time, I am cleaning the floor, bathroom, letting the cat in, emptying the portable potty, washing dishes, changing sheets, washing pj's and sheets, cleaning, letting the cat out, cleaning, cleaning (my son once told his teacher "a bug wouldn't dare come in my mom's house". I do not have OCD, I enjoy cleaning, it is a mission every day. Time to go to the potty again, let the cat in,. Time for a snack, watch tv, eat lunch. Time for another nap. Turn on the computer, let the cat out, check email, check favorites starting at the top: local funeral home, no one I know is listed today, next funeral home, next funeral home. The next is alumni website, The next is caring.com, the next is Newt Gingrich web site then Marketwatch.com, let the cat in or out, which ever Her Royal Highness wants. I go to Pogo.com and play bingo, poppit, etc for an hour or so. Time for a snack, I stuff her full of protein every day because her skin is breaking down per doc's orders. Potty time again. Back to the computer to play Meggiesoft rummy. Let the cat out. I get my exercise lifting mother, I keep meaning to count the number of times each day, but keep forgetting. I have learned to place my feet firmly on the floor, bend my poor old knees, grasp her under the arms, pull her forward and tell her to plant her feet. Sometimes I dance around with her a few steps and we laugh about that. Then into the wheelchair again. Remember to lock the wheelchair first. One of the funniest things is that when she needs help, she calls for one of her sisters, she never calls me by name, always I am one of her sisters. I always say, "will I do"?, she says yes and laughs.
The whole point is that I am the mother now and have set up a daily schedule and it works.
This is a long post and I appreciate anyone who last to the end of it.
