The first morning Mrs. R. was with us, Priscilla served grape juice to her because Mrs. R. likes grape juice.
Near the end of breakfast, Mrs. R. dipped her white napkin in her glass of grape juice and dabbed at a corner of her mouth.
In an inquisitive, but not accusatory, tone Priscilla said, “Mother, what are you doing?”
“I’m getting food off my mouth,” Mrs. R. said.
“With grape juice?”
“Yes,” Mrs. R. said.
She now gets paper napkins.
Tuesday of this week for supper, Priscilla made chicken pot pie – carrots, potatoes and onions, cooked chicken, and a crust on top.
We served Mrs. R.’s ice tea in a plastic glass with a lid and a straw, because twice when finished with drinks in glass glasses, she just extended her arm and dropped the glass on the floor. Glass breakage is not in itself a terrible event, but we eventually would have been out of glasses.
When serving Mrs. R.’s plate, Priscilla told her the meal was chicken pot pie. She was just sitting down when Mrs. R. sucked tea through the straw and then spit the tea onto her chicken pot pie.
Priscilla asked, “Is it too dry?”
“No,” her mother said. “I just wanted some vinegar on my dressing.”
Showing posts with label alzheimer's adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alzheimer's adventures. Show all posts
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Adventures
Priscilla, Michael, Kathleen and I had dinner with Mrs. R. and John.
Dinner with an 88-year-old Alzheimer’s woman and a physically 57-year-old man/mentally 6-year-old boy offers opportunities to practice patience not asked for.
At my pickup, after getting Mrs. R. and John in Michael’s car for the trip back to Mrs. R.’s assisted living place, I said to Priscilla, “It certainly is an adventure.”
“What, going out with Mother and John?”
“Yep.”
“You should try doing it by yourself,” she said.
A week before, she had that experience. I stayed at home for the annual termite inspection. Priscilla drove the 140 miles to Texarkana and signed out John from his group home. She then drove to Mrs. R.’s assisted living place and signed her out.
John can walk unaided, but requires time to get anywhere and additional time to get into and out of a car. Mrs. R. uses a walker at the speed one would expect from someone who is 12 years from being a century old.
Priscilla got both into her car and the walker in the back of the car and drove to a restaurant. She stopped near the handicap area and got her mother’s walker from the car and then her mother and John. She told them to stay there while she parked. Then, she guided her mother and John into the restaurant and to a table.
Within a minute of being seated, Mrs. R. said, “It’s cold in here.” She had declined Priscilla’s suggestion of taking a jacket into the restaurant. Priscilla now said she would go to the car and get her mother’s jacket. She told Mrs. R. and John to stay at the table.
While she was gone, a waitress went to the table and asked Mrs. R., “Were those purses here when you sat down?” She referred, of course, to Priscilla’s purse and Mrs. R.’s purse.
Mrs. R. replied, “Well, I haven’t seen those purses before.” The waitress took the purses to the checkout area.
Priscilla returned with Mrs. R.’s jacket. She helped Mrs. R. put on the jacket. She noticed the purses were gone. She said, “What happened to our purses?”
Mrs. R. replied, “Well, I don’t know. I don’t think we brought purses.”
It is an adventure.
Dinner with an 88-year-old Alzheimer’s woman and a physically 57-year-old man/mentally 6-year-old boy offers opportunities to practice patience not asked for.
At my pickup, after getting Mrs. R. and John in Michael’s car for the trip back to Mrs. R.’s assisted living place, I said to Priscilla, “It certainly is an adventure.”
“What, going out with Mother and John?”
“Yep.”
“You should try doing it by yourself,” she said.
A week before, she had that experience. I stayed at home for the annual termite inspection. Priscilla drove the 140 miles to Texarkana and signed out John from his group home. She then drove to Mrs. R.’s assisted living place and signed her out.
John can walk unaided, but requires time to get anywhere and additional time to get into and out of a car. Mrs. R. uses a walker at the speed one would expect from someone who is 12 years from being a century old.
Priscilla got both into her car and the walker in the back of the car and drove to a restaurant. She stopped near the handicap area and got her mother’s walker from the car and then her mother and John. She told them to stay there while she parked. Then, she guided her mother and John into the restaurant and to a table.
Within a minute of being seated, Mrs. R. said, “It’s cold in here.” She had declined Priscilla’s suggestion of taking a jacket into the restaurant. Priscilla now said she would go to the car and get her mother’s jacket. She told Mrs. R. and John to stay at the table.
While she was gone, a waitress went to the table and asked Mrs. R., “Were those purses here when you sat down?” She referred, of course, to Priscilla’s purse and Mrs. R.’s purse.
Mrs. R. replied, “Well, I haven’t seen those purses before.” The waitress took the purses to the checkout area.
Priscilla returned with Mrs. R.’s jacket. She helped Mrs. R. put on the jacket. She noticed the purses were gone. She said, “What happened to our purses?”
Mrs. R. replied, “Well, I don’t know. I don’t think we brought purses.”
It is an adventure.
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