I wish I had more time at the end of the day to write here. I know one day I will look back on these entries and be glad I recorded the memories.
Etta is doing well, all things considering, of course. She still misses James deeply. If she gets upset about something, she will often firmly tell another resident or an orderly, "You know I am a grieving woman, don't you?!?" Since James died, Etta has been trying to transfer from her chair independently despite the fact she can not walk or hold her own weight. I have gotten several calls, day and night, reporting that Etta has taken a fall. Ironically, when I see her the next day and ask about it, she is very quick to dismiss the incident and seems to be fine. After a fall in which a nurse found her sitting on the floor (seemingly content, I might add), it was time to get her a chair alarm. I wasn't sure how this would go over with her but she seems to accept it as in her best interest. Wheew!
While she continues to have moments of sheer clarity, the moments of confusion continue to increase in frequency. Just today when discussing the prospect of her having a roomate, Etta became very upset. She said, "I know you won't believe me....and I know it's probably not right...but no one can take that bed....James could...might...still come back." Heart ache. And, so while another family would like to move their mother into this room, I have for the 2nd time, delayed this from happening. It's such a hard decision to make because I want to do what is best for Etta right now but I have to consider so many factors in the future too.
Not sure if I mentioned it here or not yet, but Etta's new FAVORITE thing is her digital frame! I hung it on her wall above her dresser. She told me that when she wakes up at night and can't fall back to sleep, she likes to lay in bed and watch some pictures. I have caught her many times just watching the images change and wanting to discuss each one as they change on the screen. Can't put a price tag on that!
As for wrapping things up for James, I can happy to share that I finally completed my report for the court accouting for all of his assets and affairs. I spent about 15 hours on it and all I have left to do is make copies of all the supporting documents. With all of the bills that had to be paid and accounts that had to be resolved, I was off by just $0.13!!!
Good record keeping and organized files (I am nearly OCD about it) clearly paid off here.
I think I will end on that note for now...
Etta is doing well, all things considering, of course. She still misses James deeply. If she gets upset about something, she will often firmly tell another resident or an orderly, "You know I am a grieving woman, don't you?!?" Since James died, Etta has been trying to transfer from her chair independently despite the fact she can not walk or hold her own weight. I have gotten several calls, day and night, reporting that Etta has taken a fall. Ironically, when I see her the next day and ask about it, she is very quick to dismiss the incident and seems to be fine. After a fall in which a nurse found her sitting on the floor (seemingly content, I might add), it was time to get her a chair alarm. I wasn't sure how this would go over with her but she seems to accept it as in her best interest. Wheew!
While she continues to have moments of sheer clarity, the moments of confusion continue to increase in frequency. Just today when discussing the prospect of her having a roomate, Etta became very upset. She said, "I know you won't believe me....and I know it's probably not right...but no one can take that bed....James could...might...still come back." Heart ache. And, so while another family would like to move their mother into this room, I have for the 2nd time, delayed this from happening. It's such a hard decision to make because I want to do what is best for Etta right now but I have to consider so many factors in the future too.
Not sure if I mentioned it here or not yet, but Etta's new FAVORITE thing is her digital frame! I hung it on her wall above her dresser. She told me that when she wakes up at night and can't fall back to sleep, she likes to lay in bed and watch some pictures. I have caught her many times just watching the images change and wanting to discuss each one as they change on the screen. Can't put a price tag on that!
As for wrapping things up for James, I can happy to share that I finally completed my report for the court accouting for all of his assets and affairs. I spent about 15 hours on it and all I have left to do is make copies of all the supporting documents. With all of the bills that had to be paid and accounts that had to be resolved, I was off by just $0.13!!!
Good record keeping and organized files (I am nearly OCD about it) clearly paid off here.
I think I will end on that note for now...