Sleeping Beauty

Last night I visited Mom after work. Evenings are not her best time of the day. She had just gotten up from a nap and was sitting at the dining room table snoozing. Only this was a deep sleep. I couldn't rouse her. She opened her eyes when I first got there but then she continued to sleep right through the meal. One of the nurses on staff stopped over and tried to rouse her by saying her name. She awoke, saying 'What?' then fell back to sleep. While there I noticed one of the residents was scratching at a rash on her arm so I mentioned it to the caregivers and the nurse took a look at it. I hope I'm not labeled a butt-in-ski for this but I know that the caregivers are usually pretty busy with so many residents to keep an eye on. I still am not aware of the events of Mom's day; when she gets up, how well she eats, who comes to visit. Except for hospice visits. They keep a log of visits and each visitor leaves a note their visit with Mom. My mom's sister left me a message telling me that she had a wonderful conversation with Mom on Monday. Of course, conversations with Mom are usually indiscernable but she tries so hard to talk and make us understand what she is trying to say. It's so hard to know that she can't really express her needs and wishes, but I think that Hospice helps because she gets extra attention. I have been trying to read as much as I can about how to understand and communicate with someone who has Alzheimer's. But it's still hard. Mom is a trooper though and a fighter. I wish I was able to stop by during the lunch hour but my job is not close to home. That is a disappointment for me because I know that Mom is usually more alert at that time of day. I guess it is what it is.