Free at Last!

It's over.  Miles received the best possible diagnosis yesterday possible; garden variety epilepsy.  This evening, I delivered Anne to her new home after shopping for essential undergarments and then Eric & I taking her to the doctor.  She was incredibly happy to be there.  We met with the nurses and care giving staffs, we went to dinner with her, and then after Eric & Gabby left, I accompanied her and her caregiver up to her new apartment for the first time.

She was flabbergasted.  She sunk into the orange chair that she loves, I love, and Eric absolutely hates.  (It IS really ugly, but it's SO 50's and SO orange that how could I not love it?  Space age!!!!!)  She looked at me with a gigantic smile and said "I used to have a chair just like this!"  She was flummoxed when I told her that this was her very chair; and that Eric & I had moved it from her old home to her new home just for her.

She looked to her right and saw her dinette set.  "I used to have a dinette that looked like that!" she squealed.  I assured her that it was the one and very same.  I then walked her around her apartment, showing her all of her furniture and possessions that we had brought over, set up, and decorated with.  She couldn't believe it.  She couldn't believe that all the photographs that she loves were mounted on her walls, and when she saw the drawings of her husband and Eric, she started crying with happiness.  She practically fell over when I opened up her drawers and her closet and showed her, her very own clothing inside of them.

There are loose ends to clean up.  I've been given a short list of things we need to get immediately for Anne by her personal care giver who will live with her for the next 7 days, 24/7 until she is used to her surroundings and new routine.  Her doctor feels that her dementia is extremely advanced, but on his own changed her medication exactly the way Eric & I hoped he would to see if any of this is sedative induced.  We have yet to get a firm commitment from the audiologist on Anne's hearing aids.  We were given a referral by Pacifica to a new doctor which we will schedule post haste.  To hell with the old one.  He didn't follow through appropriately.

I showed Anne that we had found the nightgown in the move that she had been very disturbed to have lost (accusing me of taking it as a gift from her and then not returning it when she asked for it back).  She was thrilled to take off HER OWN clothing that I brought to the home for her to leave in, and put it on.  She insisted to the care giver that she walk me to the door in her nightgown to give me a kiss goodbye before happily going off to bed.  As she shut the door - after 7 PM - and I headed down the hallway to the elevator that would take me to my car, I knew that we had done the best possible thing for Anne, my conscience was clear, and I kept thinking in my head over and over again,  "I'm free!  I'm free!  I'm FREE!  Finally, I'm free."