March 2

The phone rang at 11:30pm on March 2nd. Mom had fallen again and needed me to come over.
I threw on some clothes, drove to her house and found her sitting up against her bed with a brass lamp laying over her lower legs. She said she had missed the bed when she got up to go to the bathroom. Did she turn a light on? Absolutely not!

I knew immediately that I could not get her back to bed. I called 911 again and they sent a crew over. They helped her up after assessing her, put her back to bed and took her blood pressure. Everything seemed ok, so they left.

I tucked Mom in again, said good night and headed home. I know this cannot keep going on. It is time to admit her to a nursing home for her own safety.

I made a few visits over the weekend and ultimately selected a place in Burien, Washington.

The next Tuesday, March 6th I picked up Mom's favorite breakfast of biscuits and gravy and headed over the her apartment. We had a conversation the day before about it being time for her to be in a safe place. Being alone in her apartment was no longer an option. She seemed to agree and even admitted she was tired of trying to take care of everything.

Mom was pretty low key as we through the admission process and got her settled in her room. Since then, she has acted out about the many minorities on the staff. She has also tried to leave the facility, but at least this one has an alarm system. They have placed an alarm activator on the back of her wheelchair where she cannot get at it.

The Physical Therapy staff want me to take her walker away. Her gait is no longer steady enough to be walking on her own with a walker. However, Mom keeps taking it out of her closet and using it. They took it to the gym and she retrieved it again. She is just so stubborn and unwilling to understand her health problems.

She hates being there but I cannot back down this time. She wants me to do her laundry and I refused. I am exhausted with taking care of her as her health has declined. I simply cannot do it anymore.

I gave up her apartment last week. My brother helped me move all the furniture out yesterday. I have odds and ends to take care of there....but slowly things are getting accomplished.

My next task is to fill out the Medicaid paperwork....because Mom clearly does not have enough money to last her.

So..we are here....at the nursing home...Mom's health is deteriorating everyday. She is pissed off and still acting out. Her contrary nature is truly her life force.