REhab

Today I got to witness my Mom in action at the Rehab place that she has called home for the last 2 months.  I was there as she started her day and shared meals with the same 3 women who  repeated the same dialogue numerous times. None of them seemed to mind the repetition. What was funny was the fact my Mom was the only one not in on the retelling mode today which I found curious. We have experienced the repetition at other times and when she has her daily oral interview, she is able to answer all the questions quite well with the exception of the question of place, where she is right now. She apparently has been stuck on the answer Madison, Wisconsin.  She hasn't lived in Madison since 1958 when Little Rock, Arkansas became home.

Wheel chair follows behind, in case the patient becomes tired

Well even if my Mom doesn't remember she lives in Little Rock,  she certainly knows her directions quite well. She has always had a very keen sense of direction. A lot of people don't even have that in their younger years with complete sight.  My brother and I took my folks on a field trip for hair cuts  and if we listed  landmarks, she knew exactly where we were.

We had Mom back in time to the Rehab to be on schedule and have lunch with her 'new' acquaintances. One of the girls, a spry 96 yr old will be moving to another facility this weekend and didn't understand why she had to move.  Change isn't easy no matter how old you are.

While Mom had lunch, I took a tired Dad back home to rest.  I kept him company while he ate and then I was off on errands.  The most difficult errand being to find socks with treads on them for Mom's swollen feet. *Beware if you ever need  socks with non slip treads, these are considered a winter item and have been cleared out by May in the South ! I did find a pair of Yoga socks that hopefully will be comfortable for her until the swelling goes down and she can wear shoes once again.

I returned to the Rehab to find my Mom trucking it back and forth with her walker for her physical therapy in the hallway. I couldn't have kept up with her. Some things never change as I never could keep up with her walking pace!

The remainder of the afternoon was filled with me reading to her and a friend of hers visiting before dinnertime. As I sat with all the women once again at the dinner table after witnessing one of their days, I couldn't help to think this may be what my future  holds.  It was humbling indeed...

Live each day to its fullest and may good health abound.