I am probably going to see Mom and Dad tomorrow. Molli and Marty are on their way and will be here later tonight, so Molli and I will go to LNC. I have been sick all week. I finally went to the Dr. Wednesday and got antibiotics. My ears and throat were both red and I felt awful. Today, I'm finally better. Anyway, I'll write later after my visit. love you all, pat

Went to see Mom & Dad today(Thurs)-got there by 5 & of course they were waiting for their food. Dad was wheeled over to the door, looking at them fixing trays. Mom was pushed up to the table, but was asleep in her wheelchair. They both knew me and were glad to see me. They were fine. I helped Mom eat, and she did ok. Dad just says crazy things. He asked Mom if she had the keys to the house, and something like they needed to hurry and leave. He asked me to stay with them, and go home tomorrow. I stayed about an hour. After Dad ate, he wanted his tobacco, so I made sure he got some. He asked me when I left about catching a bus, and I said I was fine, and he said he wasn't asking for me, but for him! I guess he thinks he's at the casino or somewhere. He just talks crazy from one subject to the next. He said something about the guy that works there, Sam, stole his money and that he looks shady to him. Then he talked about a wreck of some kind. Mentioned something about Jeanie, but couldn't figure that one out. Are we sure they're not giving him something? I just hate when you really can't have a conversation with either one of them. I guess I should be happy that at least they were both happy and not upset. I won't be able to go again until next week. Jeanie and Pat, keep us informed. Love, Pam

FYI, Jamie made it home just fine. I had to laugh because she said that she was going to walk home from her shuttle drop off at Ft. Lewis and asked where her men were! She said working, working and school! LOL At least she's home! Love to all, Judy

I too have stuff everywhere! My bedroom is lined all the way around with stuff, but good stuff at least. I'm trying to empty a box everytime I go in there. One of my favorite things is the black cat cut out of wood because he's sitting on the door frame directly in front of my sink in the kitchen and he makes me smile. I'll never be able to look at him either without thinking of Mom. Logan loves him too and "mews" everytime he sees it.LOL. I did call about Mom and Dad just a few minutes ago and Debbie said they were having a good day. I asked about how they ate today and she checked and said that they both ate 100% today and yesterday too at breakfast. She said Mom didn't eat much lunch yesterday and I told her that I understood she was upset. She said yes she was but she thought what set her off was that she got mad at Dad because he wanted her to" move around" and she didn't want to. Debbie said Dad kept moving her wheelchair and she wanted to sit still and sleep. Today I heard Mom talking in the background and Debbie said that she had just gotten out of the shower and she hates it. LOL Let's hope that the good day continues! Love to all, Judy

I too have a HARD time believing that being upset is how Mom is most of the time. I'm not buying it! There are too many visits by all of us and it hasn't been like that but a couple of times. I wonder why the nursing staff that we really like down there hasn't said anything to us if that were the case. I hate that she was like that on the last time Jamie got to see them this visit too. I know it couldn't have been easy for Jamie. The thing about them is that they're never the same 2 days in a row! Today they might be back to their normal. I'll call in a bit and ask and post. It WAS great to be a large group of sisters for a couple of days and we absolutely need to do it a lot more than we have! Love to all, Judy

It's been so long since I've done this, I've almost forgotten how! LOL! Anyway, Jamie and I went to see Mom and Dad today. Today they weren't good. Don't know the exact cause or why, but Mom was SO upset when we got there. The girls working said she'd tried to get up out of bed by scooting down to the end---whatever. Anyway she cried and shook--she was so upset. Was better when we left. Dad was just really confused today, too. I'm wondering if they'd both gotten any sleep last night. They seemed tired. The lady there said this was how Mom was nearly all the time---crying, etc. I have a hard time with that. She's usually in a good mood when we go. Wild, etc, but happy. I'll check on them again probably Wed. I felt bad for both of them today. Getting old is not for the weak!!!!!!!!!! I second Pat's suggestion that we need to get together more often. We need to just plan a sister time and do it! I love you all, Jeanie

Hey, everyone! Ona and Judy, hope you both made it home safely! It was great for us all to be together, even though it wasn't a happy time! We really need to try to get together and visit more often. Love you all, pat

Mom and Dad are doing good I think considering Mom's illness. She's happy and still active and that's a blessing. Dad is doing wonderful! He's taking speech and physical therapy and making a lot of improvement. According to Pat he was at his best today and in fact she said they both were great. The progress with settling their stuff is going but it's been an unbelievable task!!! We have all cried till we think we can't and then something funny would happen and we got through it. It's just so sad to all of us to see our proud and dignified parents and their stuff come to this but we all KNOW there isn't anything else we could do! Them being in the nursing home is the absolute best thing for them without any doubt at all. I'm just anxious to get the sale all done and finished so we can all start to develop some sort of control in our own lives too. Love to all, Judy

Mom and Dad

Hey, it's Thursday morning and there has been nothing on the blog since last Friday. Someone put something on so I'll know how things are going....Jamie's visits to see Mom and Dad, anyone else's visits, progress on the cleaning, and etc. Ona

Mom and Dad were both very good today. I went around lunch and sat with them while they ate. Dad ate all of his and Mom ate more than she normally does. Dad was very lucid today and didn't say anything off the wall. Mother was talking to me and said, "Pat or Jeanie or whoever you are. Where is Jeanie?" and Dad said, "She's in Hawaii." I was very impressed. I also met Dad's therapist and she was very nice. She said Dad does very good with his exercises. I asked Dad what he did and he said a little bit of everything. I asked him if he walked and he said yes. Anyway, they were both good. Michael Smith (the admin.) sat in the dining room through lunch watching everything. I thought that was interesting. I also asked the nurse how Mother had been and she said they had given her a shower and she does not like that. Her cuts were healing well and there was no infection. That's all for now. love you, pat

I went to see Mom and Dad yesterday, but forgot to post it! They were ok. Mom was crazy when I first got there, rattling on and on about some real estate deal or something. It was agitating Dad so I just wheeled them into the eating table, and changed the subject with Mom and she finally got ok. They ate pretty well, and were fine when I left. Pat is going over today. No one will go on Sat., but Pat is going on Sunday. Hope you all are well and have a great weekend. Love, Pam

Mom and Dad are still doing good with eating. I check every morning and Jamie checks at lunch. Pat and Pam are tag teaming suppers on most days by going over and helping to make sure they eat. Dad had 100% this morning and Mom had 25%. She does better some days with some things than others. They did tell me this morning when I called that Mom had yet another skin tear on her arm. I asked how she got it since she had another one earlier this week. The lady said she hit it when she was hitting at the staff for making her get up. Her skin is super easy to tear so I'm not surprised. They said that they had put a bandage and medicine on it and hopefully she'll keep it on! See you all soon, Judy

I, too, went to see Mom and Dad today. I missed Pat by 15 min. Mom and Dad were still sitting at the table, eating. Dad and Mom both knew me. That was good! I got Mom to eat maybe 4 or 5 more bites. I think Pat is right about Dad thinking they were at the casino. Dad told Mom to hurry up, that they needed to leave before dark, and that she was driving!lol After we left the cafeteria, Dad had to go to the bathroom, and evidently soiled his pants. I heard one of the girls say she had to give Mr. Shelton a shower. Anyway, Dad went on the bed, and it was only 6:30. I stayed and wheeled Mom around a little more and when I left she was fine. I hope to go back on Thurs or Fri. Ok, Pat, that joke sounds like it came from Jerry!!lol funny!! Love you all, Pam

I went to LNC today after I got off work at 4:00. I went to pay their monthly fee and of course the bookkeeper had already left. A lady told me that Michael Smith (the Admin.) would be there in about 15 minutes so I went to visit with Mom and Dad while I waited. They both looked good. Dad was confused. I think he thought he was at the casino because he told me that he should've "kept playing poker" and asked me if I worked at the casino. He also asked Mother if they were burying Ernestine tomorrow. Anyway, all in all they seemed fine. Mother kept rattling on and on about something. The nurse gave her a small cup of orange juice while they were waiting on their food and she drank all of it.
Now, for the payment. I talked to Michael and he said Dad didn't owe anything for this month because Medi-care was paying. After you've been in the hospital for 3 nights, Medi-care will pay for their care for a certain period of time. He said it's usually around 30 days. My next question was " does this mean we will have to extend private pay for another month?" He said basically yes, unless we spent that $3,000.00 on something for Dad. I'm really thinking he needs a new diamond ring in my size! hee hee! Jeanie and I will figure it out when she gets home. We may have to call the lawyer and see what we need to do. By the way, Jeanie, Dad's social sec. check came Sat. and I got all the money desposited in their accounts. I also paid Mother's bill. Okay, I'm going to get in the shower - it's been a long day. Oh, one more thing! Jeanie, Michael said you'd get a letter saying that Dad had been discharged - it will be from the medi=care not the nursing home. He said a lot of people panic when they see the word "discharge".
Oh, another thing! I've got a joke for you. These 3 old men were sitting around talking about what they had gotten for Christmas. The first man said, " I got a brand new rifle!" The second man said, "I can top that - I got a brand new riding lawn mower!" They looked at the third man and said, "What did you get?" He said, "I got an SUV!" They were stunned and said "Really?" and he said, "Yep, socks, underwear and Viagra!" hee hee!! love you, Pat

I called again this morning about what Mom and Dad ate and Dad had 100% of his food and 75% of liquids. Mom had 25% of food and about 50% of her Insure they're giving her. That's about right I think. I try to call every morning and check and will also try to remember to post it here. I'll see you all soon! Judy

I went to see them today (Mon.) and they were fine. I got there around 5, so I knew they would be in the cafeteria. When I was walking down the hall, I saw Dad leaving, going back toward his room. I said, hi, and told him to come on back, it was time for supper. He said he'd already eaten. One of the workers heard what he said and said no, he hadn't. She told him to come on back, and wheeled him to the table. Mom was sitting there, drinking coffee, waiting for her food. She was glad to see me, and told me so, but didn't call me Pam until about an hour into the visit. In fact, she called me buffalo and mister!lol Whatever!lol She just picked at her food (hamburgers and fries)and drank maybe 1/2 of the Ensure. Dad didn't eat anything but drank his soup and coffee. He said he wasn't hungry. I begged him to eat, but he didn't want to. I wheeled them around for awhile, and told them I'd be back tomorrow. I told Judy I don't think Dad likes me!lol He's always cranky and cusses. I guess I'd be cranky, too, if I was in his place. They looked good. I forgot to look at Mom's arm, but she never mentioned it to me, or touched it in anyway. I hope my visit tomorrow goes well, too. Pat, I won't be able to go on Wed. because of church, but I'll check with you about Thurs-Sun schedule, ok? Love you all, Pam

Jamie and I have been tag teaming to ck on breakfast and lunch and she told me that last night at supper Dad had eaten 100% and Mom ate 25% plius cookies for snack. We thought maybe Dad had not been getting his cholesterol medicine and Jamie talked to the nurse about it last night. He IS getting that, plus insulin and a baby aspirin. Dad's blood sugar last night was 139 so that's all good! I called this morning about breakfast and Dad again had 100% and 25% for Mom. Mom's doesn't concern me too much since that's about all she ever ate at most of the time. She does much better with fingerfoods. She'll also eat from one of us feeding her better than just by herself I think. As for me, I'm thinking all is well for the moment and I'm off to plant some geraniums!LOL It's gorgeous outside! Love to all, Judy

I did go to LNC around noon today. They were already in the dining room eating. Dad was good and ate good. Mother was not good and maybe ate 2 bites. I talked to the RN and she said that Mother was really good earlier until they came to take her vital signs and she got very agitated. She acted like she was so tired. She just basically sat there with her head down. She did know me when I came in though. The nurse also said that mother really needed something to help her agitation. She knew we did not want the Ativan and I asked her if there was something else they could try and that Geodon (sp?) had been mentioned by my neice as a possibility. She said she had never heard of it, but would look it up. She also said that they could try Mother on half the dose of Ativan that they had been giving her which was .5 and they could try half of that. I told her I would have to talk to all of you, but I figured the answer was no. I know they're going to have good and bad days, but it gets very frustrating. The nurse pointed out to me that Dad's left hand was somewhat swollen and it was, but not huge or anything like that. He said it didn't hurt. I looked at Mom's cut and it was pretty bad. It was sort of a semi-circle and they had bandages (they looked like butterflys) along it. The nurse also mentioned that they had put mom on an antibiotic because of the cut. She said Dad was taking only his insulin and an aspirin each day and nothing else. Didn't know if that's what we had decided or not. Anyway, not the best visit, but then we can't always expect the best. love you all, pat

!

First of all, Jeanie called me last night at 10:30 p.m. our time and they had made it to Maui!~It was only 5:30 p.m. there and she had just about had it! They had flown straight from Dallas to Hawaii. I talked to Pam and evidently Pat said that Mom and Dad were pitiful today. Geez, what a difference a day makes! Mom has six or seven cuts on her arm or arms with butterfly bandages and they don't know how she did it. I know when I was there she got her leg down around the bedrail and kept pulling on her leg to where she was about to get the same cut on it that she had already had once. She also said that Mom sat at the table at lunch with her head down. Not sure if she ever ate or not==Pat will post I'm thinking. Dad's arm is swollen too? Pam said it was swollen when he was in the hospital but they thought it was from his iv. He did eat and drink his food though so at least THAT is a plus! Pam is sooooo anxious for you to get her Jamie to see them! Won't be long at least! Love to all, Judy

I went to LNC today to see Mom and Dad. They were really very good. I stayed with them through lunch. Dad ate and drank really good. Mother only ate a few bites of the main dish, some ice cream and about half of her insure. They both looked really good and acted really good. I fixed Dad some small packs of tobacco and put them in the room. After I had been gone about an hour, the nurse called to tell me that Mother had a really bad cut on her arm. They didn't know exactly how she had done it, but they had it all bandaged. I asked if she was okay and they said she seemed fine. Who knows! Pam or I one will check on them tomorrow. The girl at lunch said Mom had been having a really good day. Mother kept asking Dad if he was about ready to go home. I'm assuming she meant their room because she said she was tired. Dad said he was tired too and that he hadn't slept much last night. Anyway, all in all, a good visit. love you, pat
p.s. Hey, Jeanie, enjoy those beaches for the rest of us!!!

Just a quick note to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Dad is doing much better and eating all his food and drinking all his liquids. I call after breakfast everyday to check and Jamie is checking after lunch. Jeanie and Bruce went down today because they're leaving for Hawaii tomorrow! Lucky duck!!LOL Anyway Pam and Cary went down too and she said they were doing okay. They said they look good but of course Mom has "issues" and Dad still isn't totally clear by any stretch. He's eating and drinking though so that's a real plus! Love to all, Judy