Sunday Blues

Tonight I attended the Minnesota Youth Symphonies concert at the invitation of my good friend whom I've known since junior high. Her daughter is a violinist in one of the symphony orchestras. These kids were amazing! I was very impressed by them and enjoyed the concert immensely.

Otherwise, my weekend was pretty low key. I did some window shopping at the mall on Saturday and I visited with my friend M who recently had surgery. It was nice to spend time with her and her family as usual. They are good friends.

I'm not really keen on heading back to work tomorrow, but it gives me a diversion from thinking about Mom. We are supposed to have an ice storm tomorrow. That should make the commute to and from work very exciting to say the least. I'm growing weary of winter. Today we had a taste of spring; it was near 40 degrees. I hate these teasers, I just want the warmth and sunshine of spring.

My Babies

Here are some pictures of the room. It's really cute and has a small sun porch. Right now there is an armoire in the middle of the room from the previous occupant. The room and the sun porch look out over the woods and a courtyard with a fountain. I'm told that all sorts of wildlife can be seen from this room. I'm torn. I really like the vibe in the two facilities that I've heard from. Oh what to do?

It was sunny and near 60 today. Everyone has spring fever. I saw people wearing shorts and flip flops, the proverbial first sign of spring in Minnesota. Tomorrow Mom has a dental appointment in the morning after which I'm going to try to do something fun with her, she deserves it now that spring is here.

Most exciting news today? The purple slipper was returned with the lift. It's about 3/4 inches higher than the right slipper and Mom does seem to be more even now when she walks. This is good news.

Finally, I've included a picture of our kitties, eating their dinner side by side. Who'd have thought this would ever happen?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I hope that the Easter bunny was good to you. It doesn't seem like spring here, it's snowing (as usual). Easter was early this year and everyone is wondering why. Easter is based on the first full moon of the spring season.

Here are some new links to helpful sites for caregivers:

http://www.caregivingforcaregivers.com/
http://www.workingcaregiver.blogspot.com/

Wednesday - Hump Day!

Today we had our usual Wednesday caregiver. She wanted to give it another try and the person who was supposed to replace her was sick. Things went well she said. Mom had a few tearful moments but otherwise the caregiver calmed her down. For some reason though Mom seems to think she is a man! I'm not sure why that is. This caregiver is very professional and firm. Mom usually likes the caregivers who are more touchy-feely so I wonder if that is what sometimes bothers Mom? Or maybe she is just having typical Alzheimer's moments. One thing I like about this caregiver is that she is somehow able to get Mom to use the toilet. In my book, that's a plus.

Tonight at dinner Mom was very upset; calling herself stupid and asking me what is wrong with her, why can't she remember things? I never know what to say to this so I usually say that she just has a problem with her memory. I purchased a book called The Best Friend's Approach to Alzheimer's Care. It says that a person has the right to know that they have Alzheimer's, even if you don't explain it as Alzheimer's, instead you might say 'memory loss' or 'forgetfulness'. I've heard different ideas on this; some say to tell the person, some say don't. Anyway, the book looks interesting, I can't wait to read it.

We have had spring-like weather these last few days. Today it was sprinkling rain. And our snow is melting. No sign of daffodils except the ones being sold for the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days. We won't see daffodils in Minnesota until May.