Stories from Caregivers: Su from MICHIGAN
MI
Su
FROM MICHIGAN
My mother, Pauline, had a brain bleed/stroke in Dec. 2015 at age 95. We converted a bedroom into a suite by making a pass-through to a bathroom with step in shower, chose some of her collections, family photos and furniture, and brought her from the hospital to her new home with us. Her stroke induced dementia means she asks questions about her situation, needs reminders of who the people in her pictures are, and no longer can process/do the things that were part of her previous life....selling books on EBay, tabletop games and cards, family genealogy, computer solitaire and being an avid reader. She is frustrated and aware of her challenges and glimmers of the old mom pop up regularly. I told my students: "We brought home a different person.....I think I'm going to like this person, but she is a different woman that before." We have a visiting GoDocsGo nurse practitioner monthly, a person come to our home to cut her hair (and mine), and a paid caregiver one - two times a week to allow my husband and I to schedule classes on opposite days (both teachers at college/univ) to have someone home with her. My sister and brother, who live in other states, come to visit when we need to travel. Mom is still has a positive outlook on life. She no longer can use the computer, but reads the newspaper daily, talks to us as we work a jigsaw on her table, and watches the birds, deer and wild turkeys out her window. Television confuses her, and she applies what she watches to her life....glad she only watches golf (she was NOT a golfer, but loved Tiger Woods) and not CXI! We have many discussions, often repeatedly, about why she is here, "is this my bed?", and "do you know my daughter Susan?". She is sure there are 5 Susan's....Sue works the front desk, and often references back to tell me about conversations she "had with my daughter, Susan". After 18 months we have a pattern developed that works for us, and she values my honesty, even though she has trouble getting things straight in her mind. She is 97, has mobility issues, and we work to keep her as independent as possible. Every day is different, and we never know what is in store as we begin the day. My siblings are both appreciative and envious that their little sister gets to experience this final chapter in our mother's life. I feel lucky to be able to afford her this time/$ and be able to do this for her.
