home alone
Aug. 4th, 2007 08:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kip_w.
My sister said I should call Dad yesterday, because it's the day he took Mom to the home.
Things seem to be going well with that. She's as happy there as she is anywhere, and there are a variety of people there for her to interact with. She's a mile from their house, so he can walk or ride a bike to see her. (Ride a bike! I confessed I hadn't seen him on a bike since forever. He has a sort of mountain bike that he's happy with, and he's in a place where a bike can get you somewhere.)
Mom has been slipping for years, sad to say. There was a time we thought she was reacting to years of being in a town where she just didn't seem to thrive, far from friends and family. Now we don't know, but it seems to be a combination of illnesses and, perhaps, the witch's brew of medications she was prescribed over the years. She went from being sharp to absent-minded to having no memory to speak of. For a while, it seemed that the only thing left was petulance and contrariness, but last time I saw her, she was amiable and enjoying the attention of daughters, granddaughters, and other relatives who were visiting. She still "didn't know nuffink," but it didn't hurt to be with her. She seems to be about six now, mentally, according to people who say they can tell.
Last night, Dad probably got to sleep through the night for the first time in years. He wouldn't have had to get up to help Mom go to the bathroom, or get up to see what she was doing (she would get up and wander at night). He wouldn't have to change diapers or bathe her. I'll guess that he probably woke up anyway, though.
As he said to me, this is the biggest change in his life since he married her, 58 years ago.
.
My sister said I should call Dad yesterday, because it's the day he took Mom to the home.
Things seem to be going well with that. She's as happy there as she is anywhere, and there are a variety of people there for her to interact with. She's a mile from their house, so he can walk or ride a bike to see her. (Ride a bike! I confessed I hadn't seen him on a bike since forever. He has a sort of mountain bike that he's happy with, and he's in a place where a bike can get you somewhere.)
Mom has been slipping for years, sad to say. There was a time we thought she was reacting to years of being in a town where she just didn't seem to thrive, far from friends and family. Now we don't know, but it seems to be a combination of illnesses and, perhaps, the witch's brew of medications she was prescribed over the years. She went from being sharp to absent-minded to having no memory to speak of. For a while, it seemed that the only thing left was petulance and contrariness, but last time I saw her, she was amiable and enjoying the attention of daughters, granddaughters, and other relatives who were visiting. She still "didn't know nuffink," but it didn't hurt to be with her. She seems to be about six now, mentally, according to people who say they can tell.
Last night, Dad probably got to sleep through the night for the first time in years. He wouldn't have had to get up to help Mom go to the bathroom, or get up to see what she was doing (she would get up and wander at night). He wouldn't have to change diapers or bathe her. I'll guess that he probably woke up anyway, though.
As he said to me, this is the biggest change in his life since he married her, 58 years ago.
.
