Making Progress

We're tying up loose ends with Anne now.  When I left last night, Sally, her care giver, gave me a list of things she needed us to buy for Anne.  I told Eric about it last night and we took care of it today.  It required that Eric first stop at Henry's Market for prunes...  theirs are amazing and Anne really likes them.  Then he and Gabby (who is sick with Strep Throat and not allowed back into school until tomorrow) picked me up and we went first to Target - the one in Anne's neighborhood so that if Eric has to buy anything for Anne spontaneously, he knows where to find it - and then to Home Depot because she needed a mini-cube refrigerator and Target was out of them.  We got the very last one at Home Depot.  Amazingly, I got help there right away despite 1.) having gained some weight, 2.) not wearing candy-ass whore lipstick, and 3.) having Eric & Gabby in tow.  The stars must have been aligned right and/or I am so determined to get this job done already that the workers didn't dare refuse me.  We were in and out in 15 minutes.

Off to Anne we went.  She had already been to a morning activity after eating a good breakfast, then she apparently ate a good lunch and was now napping.  Sally mentioned that she thinks there is already improvement in Anne's memory.  Apparently, early this morning she asked Anne what her husband's name is and she couldn't remember.  But she was thinking about it because she brought the subject back up and told Sally about an hour later.  "Sol.  My husband's name is Sol."  Sally was impressed.  And this despite the disorientation that all seniors - even fully cognizant ones - experience when their surroundings are suddenly changed.

We showed her what we had gotten for her, what we had installed, then got her to lay back down again.  After all, she had another activity at 2pm and we knew she'd had a restless night from the nursing staff (not surprising given everything that happened yesterday combined with her first night of not being gorked out of her mind via overdose of sedative).  Eric & Gabby sat over on the stools by the wall, I sat on the floor by her bed.

There are still issues.  She wanted to know what happened to the chest of drawers in her bedroom.  I assumed she was talking about the long dresser because she was laying with her back to it.  I asked her "The dresser with your jewelry?"

"No," she replied.  "The other one."

"It's right here!"  I returned, pointing out to her that she was facing it.  She then asked about the money that she had hidden in the drawer.  LOL - that's the Anne of old!  We assured her that Eric had it for safe keeping and that she didn't need any money where she's at.  (They don't allow the patients to keep cash... they lose it or give it away.)  "You don't need money here Anne!"  I retorted to her protests.  "Everything here is free!!!!"

And as I walked back towards the closet, I muttered to everyone else in the room who could hear "for you Anne,  Everything is free for you.  Eric is getting the bill."

I went and sat back down next to her.  Sally told her that she had only 10 minutes before the next activity and I reminded Anne that it was very important that she participate.  The activities are all designed to help her get her memory back, so she promised to be cooperative.  But she wanted to know what the activity was going to be.

"Square Dancing, Mom!"  Eric quickly replied.  And we got a giggle out of her.  "Come on!  What is it?"  And I assured her that "Square Dancing it is!"

She actually laughed.  She said she didn't know the steps.  I assured her that's why today, and for only today, they will let her sit against the wall and learn them.  But tomorrow she had to dance, and by next week, she would be required to stand on the stage and sing the square dancers song.  She laughed again.  Music.

Eric then continued.  "Mom, do you know what you're doing after square dancing?" he inquired.  She gave him a 'look.'  "You're playing basketball!"

That was too much.  "Oh come on!"  she said with a smile.  "How am I going to play basketball with only one hand?"  (Have I ever mentioned that Anne had severe nerve damage at birth to her left arm and has little to no use of it at all?)

Well, I had the answer to that.  I pantomimed by raising my right arm and then said "They call it a Sky Hook!  And don't forget that if you get a basket standing outside of the key, you get three points instead of two."

It was time to leave.  Anne kissed us all, even Gabby.  She was worried that Gabby was spending too much time helping her, but I assured her that Gabby was learning an important lesson about taking care of family first.  She gave Gabby a necklace - I think it's beautiful but it's not Gabby's style yet - so I took it back after we left and promised I would slip back into Anne's drawer.  But I also made Gabby another promise.

"Anne & I are going to the department store on Friday to buy the lipstick she was too tired to get yesterday.  We are going to get special Grandma lipstick just for kissing you.  Gabby, just in case you don't know what that is, it's bright red greasy lipstick that leaves a permanent color smudge no matter what you do."  Gabby thought that was pretty funny, and didn't believe me for a second.

I'll tell you about Gabby and the birds in the hall & lobby in tomorrow's post.

* * * * *

I've been working on the medicine pouch despite everything that's going on.  Anne was even able to recognize the progress I've made.  I think it looked like this the last time I blogged about it:

 

  

Now it looks like this:

 

  

  

 

Yes, this was a lot of work. A LOT of work.  Progress.  I wonder how much I'm going to get done now that things are settling down?

Ok.  I'll say it.  31 posts in 31 days.  Today is day three.