Whew! It was an exciting day for mom- moving day- going home day. I was there at 10:30 per the phone call I received – mom was chosen to do a survey and one of the family members was required to do a section of it. So, I was there early- to get that out of the way. It was the typical questions for any survey- how was the “customer service”, the overall experience etc., etc. The interesting to me was the nurse who was giving the survey was at her computer on the site and asking me the questions. She would then click in or type in the answer I gave. I wonder if my answers would have been different if I was doing the survey myself and reading it to myself. Either or- I gave a good review and was ready to move on.
Dorothy had to get her vitals checked-get her walker- while I got her meds- signed a few papers-and made sure I had all of her belongings. She was Free! Her exact words were “I’m Free!” when I asked her outside how she was doing. LOL, we got in the car-and headed to Brookdale. I stopped at Wendy’s on the way to get her a sandwich and a frosty- for lunch- since we would be arriving around the time lunch was served at her place- I figured it best to have her eat on the way.
When we pulled up- her friend Chuck was sitting outside waiting on her. When he recognized me – he got up and started walking towards mom-who was just getting out of the car. Watching the scene unfold was so cool, just like in the movies. They were walking towards each other smiling, as soon as they could the embraced and kissed- it actually brought tears to my eyes. It was so sweet! They stood and visited for a few minutes and we moved on into the building. She was stopped several times and greeted with hugs and welcome home wishes on the way to her room. When we got to her room- there was a sign on the door that said, “Welcome Home Dorothy- there is a new rule in this room- No more monkey’s jumping on the bed.” This is what I had told them happed to her- she was like the Nursey Rhyme “10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed- that she must have been jumping on the bed and fell off. No one will ever know how she fell- so might as well make something fun up. (-:
In the moments it was very touching for her and she was much appreciative of all the attention, support and love. They did not fix her brain- so she does not remember any of it. Sigh.
The first thing she wanted to do was get in the shower – so she did- I did not assist only made sure she was safe. And she did just fine- she finished her routine- finally, she must have put cream on her face and combed her hair 5 times- this explains why she goes through cream and toothpaste so fast. (-: After she was dressed, I encouraged her to take a nap for an hour or so- but she insisted that if she took a nap she would not sleep at night. So, we walked up to the common area where her friends were, and I left her in good hands.
When I arrived a few hours later to check up on her- Stella was there- she had just woken her up from a nap. She was confused and exhausted, but it was time for dinner so – we walked her to dinner. I did not stay- she was surrounded by doting friends- I was not needed. (-:
Love & Light,
Cheryl Doreen
Dorothy's Dementia 