Today I spent most of my time and energy with Mother issues. She has been getting weaker and more unstable daily. Shannon was with her in the morning, and fixed dinner in the crockpot and made her a sandwich for lunch. I got there right after Shannon left, and we sat and talked for a long time.
Mother's not feeling at all steady, and uses the walker everywhere in the house. She had eaten lunch in her chair, and asked me to take care of her dishes - this doesn't sound like much unless you know Mother. She doesn't want me to do anything for her ordinarily - so it's unusual that she asks a favor. We discussed that maybe soon she will no longer be able to stay in her own home - she may need assisted living. She mentioned Bortz - and I know they have an assisted living facility connected to their nursing home.
I was heading for the grocery store anyway, so she told me a few things she would like me to pick up for her. While I was out and about, I went over to Bortz, and asked for a tour of the assisted living section. I think it's really well-suited for Mother. The room is small, but furnished. It reminds me of a hotel room. It has a private bathroom, cable TV, phone, etc. I could picture Mother being comfortable there. It's called Concord Place. I put our names on the list so we will be notified when a vacancy occurs.
Off to the new Oleson's - for variety in shopping. Back to Mother's to deliver groceries and discuss Concord Place. It surprised me how receptive she was to the idea of moving there. I think that's an indicator of how lousy she feels. We talked about it for quite a while, and she got most of the facts straight - we discussed the price, and she actually said, "Well, that's not too bad." I was really stunned. It was SSA day, so I took her check to the bank and brought her back some cash - she is very frugal.
We decided to wait and see how she feels for the next week, now that she's off her anti-biotics and should be shaking the side-effects soon. (Dizziness) So right now I have to say that she is not doing well - she is becoming weaker and less mobile right before our eyes. It's really noticeable. I can't predict the future, but if she is this incapacitated permanently, I can't see leaving town, even though we have plans for 2 outings coming up this month - one for a weekend and one for an entire day. Sometimes it's hard to know what is the best thing to do. I get really conflicted. I think I'm secretly hoping that a vacancy will open up at Concord Place, and that she will be willing to move in. It would be a tremendous relief to us to have her in a place with 24 hour care. It's hard to admit that.
Jim called this evening and said he's coming up Sunday, staying Sunday night, and leaving on Monday. He'll do Mom's taxes. Hooray for Jim.
