Thursday, Dec. 29

Slept really late this morning, until 8:30. Hubbie was already downstairs when I came down He had already checked with Mother to make sure she had taken her meds. She had.

After breakfast, I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. While I did that, Hubbie went to Mother's house and moved everything out of the hallway. He put a small chest of drawers in her bedroom.

The nurse who visited yesterday suggested we put the adult potty over Mother's toilet (minus the bucket) so it will be easier for her to rise from a seated position.

Once I was ready for the day, I gathered several bags of clothing and other items to take to her house. She was already fully dressed, so I wasn't able to help her bathe. We'll do that tomorrow. I advised her that since she is now at her own house, she'll be showering later in the morning, or maybe in the afternoon, since I'll need to do my own morning routine before seeing to hers. This is particularly true on days I attend water aerobics. She promised she would not attempt bathing without my assistance.

At noon, Hubbie came over and heated Mother's lunch, and then served it on one of her TV tray tables. I'd actually wanted to watch her use the microwave to fix her own meal, but I guess that'll wait until tomorrow, too.

After her lunch, I encouraged her to go to the kitchen sink and wash the few dishes that were there. I asked her to use her walker, which she can push up to the sink. She can then stand inside of it, and if she gets woozy, she'll have the arms of the walker to brace herself until she can get to a chair.

We discussed my concerns and hers, and she said she felt she had become a burden to me at my house. I assured her that she could never be a burden to me. She's also unhappy that she can't go places anymore. But I told her that with the wheelchair, she can go anywhere we do, just like she did before she got sick. We've offered to take her to events, but she has consistently and emphatically refused, not just recently, but for a long time before she got sick.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at home doing this and that, including making a dish of fruited Jell-O. For supper, we had veggie soup, and biscuits with honey. Hubbie took servings to Mother.

Note: the obituaries in last night's local newspaper included a notice of a 93-year-old woman, who had been a member of Extension Homemakers years ago, when Mother and I were more active in the organization. This lady had spent the last years of her life in a nursing home. She was a very sweet woman that we both liked.

That was the second of two women we knew who passed away this week. The first was a woman who had been a receptionist/secretary for many years at the Extension Services office. She was 90 at the time of her death.

Note two: the red blotches on my torso, an allergic reaction to the patches applied at the cardiology clinic, are beginning to fade. Before the tech applied the patches, she told me she had to scratch the skin a little. I commented that what she used to make the scratches felt like sandpaper...which is what it was, she said. Then she applied alcohol to the scratches...yikes! The alcohol was to remove any oils that would keep the patches from sticking. The scratches, the alcohol, and the glue on the patches made for an uncomfortable burning sensation in six or seven places.

Spent the evening watching TV, as usual.