Monday 16 October 2017

When Things Stop Being Simple.....!!

The simple things in life are often taken for granted, especially when circumstances prevent you from doing what you want to do.....After losing dad last year, mum's cancer returned and we also found out that she has Alzheimer's.  The diagnosis was missed for a long time because we were putting her memory issues down to stress and tiredness from taking care of my father.   The crunch came in April when she was no longer able to live by herself in the Retirement Village that had been home to her and dad for the past 10 years..... Ssssoooo she moved in with my husband and I until we figured out what else to do.. She has been with us for six months, which had been challenging for everyone...then she finally agreed that aged care would be OK...There is a facility within walking distance from my home..who knew??.... after filling out a dozen forms and answering a million questions, we sold her property and 2 weeks ago got her a bed in the local aged home...
All the walkers liked up as the ladies do lunch in the dining room at the nursing home.
Happy to report she is going amazingly well and has taken to it like a duck to water...after 6 months with us where we could get her to do little more than sit in a chair and watch TV all day...she has a new lease on life and getting on like a house on fire, made new friends and joining in loads of activities... they even got her to take up knitting again which I couldn't get her interested in at all.......and I have my life back!!.  It's a win, win. ...  so back to the blog and my "Simple Life".





7 comments:

  1. So good to hear your Mother is still close by and doing well. It's funny because I hear so many elderly people object to going into these homes however they eat better, make friends and have a great social life and great care. I know when my Grandmother used to live by herself (we are talking over 30 years ago) I would visit her at her house and she was always there but once she moved into the retirement home which was closer I had to ring up and make sure she was going to be home....she had a great life.

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  2. Absolutely...I think they fear the idea of nursing homes but actually 'Low care" which is where mum is has so much to offer them.

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  3. I wondered what you had been up to, it's been a while since you posted. Caring for an elderly relative is THE single hardest job in the World in my opinion, at least your mother consented to care, my mum and nan are as stubborn as each other...one WON'T go in to care, the other WON'T put her in, but neither of them have a life, and are both miserable!

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    1. I agree, I looked after dad at their place for 5 years until he passed away. Thankfully Mum spoke to the geriatrician and he told her she needed to be around people her own age. She hasn't looked back :-)

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  4. I'm glad your Mum is happy where she is now and that you have some balance back in your life. How to care for elderly family members is a challenge that is something I never really thought too much about when I was younger. Now though, a my friends and I get older, it's something we find ourselves talking about. I live over 2000km from my Mum, who would never dream of moving to the city for she's spent her whole life up North in the bush, but I can see that there will be a time when her health (which is not great) is going to lead to some very difficult decisions for everyone. Meg

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  5. I can imagine that was a tough decision, but it sounds like it is working out wonderfully for all. How lovely that your Mom is withing walking distance, and is enjoying herself.

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  6. Oh goodness. We had a tough time about 18 months ago when my daughter and her one-year-old son had to move in with us, and it took all of us patience and gentle settling in. She's back on her feet now and no longer living with us. I am glad we could be that buffer, but we're also glad to have our life back, and it's true what they say about time and moving through what's difficult. Glad to hear your Mum is doing great and enjoying what sounds like busy and fulfilling days.

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