Today I received a call from my mom's caretaker Elaine. At first when I saw her name on caller ID I felt
nervous. Elaine rarely calls me. When I answered the phone Elaine sounded excited to tell me that my mom was waiting for her at her front door. Mom immediately asked Elaine if they were going out today.
This is amazing because my mom never wishes to leave her home. Her home is a place that she feels most safe and secure in. Elaine shouted with much enthusiasm that she was going to take my mom out to lunch .I suggested that they go for Chinese food and spelled out to Elaine some of my mom's favorite dishes: fried rice,egg roll, wonton soup and sweet & sour chicken. Guess what? My mom has no recollection that she even likes Chinese food or which are her favorite dishes.
So off they went. Elaine called me back several hours later to describe in detail their luncheon together. Elaine ordered the food and after it was served and my mom finished her soup, she kept telling Elaine how cold she was. Elaine said to me "well at least we got your mom out".I expressed to her how grateful I was for how she cares for my mom and asked her to please take mom out to eat, every few weeks. Elaine had the waiter pack up all the food and they left the restaurant . Mom wanted to return home to her "safe haven".
The next morning when I called to say hello and tell my mom that Elaine would be coming to visit her today, my mom replied "who is Elaine"?. Elaine has been coming to care for my mom for the last 2 years. I ask mom if she ate breakfast this morning and mom answers, "I really do not remember".
I cherish every day that my mom still knows who I am and I consider myself so lucky that every day when I call, I am still greeted with her cheerful voice.
__________________________________________________________________________________
FACT- EVERY 70 SECONDS SOMEONE IS DIAGNOSED WITH ALZHEIMER'S
__________________________________________________________________________________
My brother knew my mom had always liked Olive Garden so he came to visit and took her there. She'd always ordered eggplant parmaghan. That day she ordered a hamburger. The waiter looked weird, my husband said (I was in San Antonio) and said they didn't serve hamburgers, so Mom wouldn't eat. It's better to stick to the usual schedule and get less agitation. another time I took her out for Mexican food and all she ordered was ice cream. So we don't eat out any more.
ReplyDelete