Mind Better, Body Weaker

We got her a new walker and she is using it. It's metalic blue and quite fancy. She is getting weaker all the time and fell again today. She was getting ready to sit down on her chair and slid off onto the floor. She didn't seem to get hurt, but she is no help getting up. Then later she couldn't get up from her chair, so I had to help her. That happened twice so far today, which is all she has been up, so we will see tonight, when she gets up to eat. My back already hurts, so we will see how things go in the next couple of weeks, but a nursing home may be the way to go. I'll think about it and pray about it. In two weeks she will have lived with us for a year. If anyone talks to her, please don't mention the nursing home. Not even sure if that's the way to go.

Getting weaker in mind and body

She doesn't get up much at all. When she does she isn't very sturdy walking. I've tried to get her to use a walker, but she doesn't want to. I'll try to get Les to talk her into it. She get's confused at times and can't remember what she is to do, like going to bed or when it's time to eat, and what to do, like if she has pancakes, she forgets that she needs to put on butter and syrup and cut them up. She just looks at them confused and asked what to do. The back of her head seems to be hurting more but says it isn't enough to take more meds yet. This doesn't mean she won't be better next week. She always seems to bounce back.

Mom's Friends

I couldn't get these pictures up, so at first I just wrote about her friends. On the left is Eileen on the right is Kay, friends she used to work with at the bank.

OK, I don't have really tall chairs, mom has just become really little. I noticed when the rest of us were sitting, our head were way above the top of the chair. So sweet of them to come.

Mom's friends came to visit

Mother has kept in touch with people she worked with in the 60's. 2 of them came over today. Kay and Eileen and had a great visit. Mom tires easily but loved the visit. Even with steroids, her stomach is getting much bigger, and the tumor on her back is getting larger. She fell yesterday, which really scared me, but she is OK. She was getting in a cabinet and turned too quickly and lost her balance. She doesn't seem to be sore, even though she hit her cheek on a table going down. She had a red mark yesterday, but can't see it today. She still eats 5 times a day, not quite as much each time as she used to and still sleeps a lot.

It's wonderful having a sitter and getting out once in awhile. Mother enjoys the company. Someone new to tell her stories to and show her drawings, books etc.

Got Help

I was beginning to feel like the old movie "Groundhog's Day" where everyday Bill Murray woke up and it was Groundhog's Day again. My life is the same day after day after day, and I wasn't getting out or Les and I able to do anything together. I hired a registered nurse to stay with mother a couple of evenings a week and a few hours on Saturday. She has just started and it has been wonderful to get out again. We still can't leave to visit family which is kind of sad and I haven't started back to the temple, but still we can go out together so that's a great help. Mom seems to be doing better, but in order to keep the pain down she has to be highly medicated and I worry about leaving her alone.

She was alert enough to call her old hairdresser that did her hair years ago when she lived in Boise, and asked if he would come here and give her a perm, and he did. She looks and feels much better so I'm glad for that. Then I wonder if I could leave her alone for a few hours at a time. I just don't know. I guess I will wait and see how things go. In the mean time I will keep the sitter. I'll keep you posted.