MONDAY MAY 27 AND TUESDAY MAY 28, 2013

May 27, 2013, Monday. Memorial Day. I went to the NH about 3 PM. I fed the birds, blinds open. Mom was resting on her bed, O2 on, glasses on, teeth in. Mom greeted me when I came in. I gave her a banana which she ate. I gathered up her dirty clothes and was going to get her up when the C.N.A. came in to change Mom. She changed Mom and we got Mom into her chair and we watched the birds, cleaned her hands, brushed her hair. There were two Quaker Parrots today. Another C.N.A. came in and they discussed methods for catching the parrots! Mom and I went to dining room for the special Memorial Day program. They served apple juice and donut halves while we sang Patriotic songs, folk songs led by guitar strumming performer. We clapped and sang and Mom ate her donut. Then they gave out flags and recognition to the veterans present. A gentleman named Bill at our table served, was at Normandy and earned a Silver Star in WWII. During the presentations, Mom became distressed and put her head down. I don’t know if her stomach bothered her or if she was upset? She wanted to return to her room so I accompanied her to her room, put her on her bed. C.N.A. came in and she said she would get Mom later for supper. I fed the birds again and left about 5 PM.

May 28, 2013, Tuesday. I went to the NH about 9:20 AM. I went to the front office to discuss the Medicaid bill to me. They are going to take care of it. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was resting on her bed. The room was cold and she had no sheet or cover over her and complained of being cold. She had on a sweater. No TV, no glasses, teeth in, no O2. I got Mom up. We did some personal care, watched the birds and I gave her the last chocolate from the box from Helen. We channel surfed then I put TV on DVD.  I accompanied Mom to dining room II for the volleyball game. I saw Tara & Annie from Recreation and we looked at the craft donations I had brought. I got Mom a coffee then she went to participate in the game. She did well and enjoyed the game. I left about 10:30 AM. Mom showed no interest in my leaving.   

FRIDAY, MAY 24 - SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013

May 24, 2013, Friday. I went to the NH about 10:30 AM. Residents were gathering in the parking lot for a game of croquet, being transported and coming independently. I fed the birds, blinds closed. I told nurses I was taking Mom out, and I signed her out. Mom was resting on her bed, no O2, no glasses, sound turned down on the TV. I changed the channel to news, started to get Mom up but she was wet so I called for assistance. C.N.A. Dalmacio came and Mom expressed trepidation, saying she did not want his assistance. He changed her and Mom told him to “go to hell”. I got Mom to try on a dress I brought and it seemed to fit. I brushed her hair, cleaned her glasses, we put on hand cream, I gave her a chocolate and we went to the car for a ride. We rode through the neighborhoods slowly then went to a convenience store for a soft drink. Then I went to Fresh Plus grocery. I left Mom in the car with the radio on and windows open. When I returned Mom had taken off her seat belt and her jacket, independently. Mom was alert and noticing the environment today. We returned to the NH and I fed the birds again. Mom was reluctant to return to the NH but not resistant. I accompanied Mom towards the dining room for lunch and Nurse Audra gave Mom a breathing medication as we passed the nurse station. I left Mom in the dining room about Noon awaiting her lunch. Tina has previously also expressed negative opinion of C.N.A. Dalmacio. The other male Hispanic C.N.A. Eglise does NOT elicit such negative responses from residents nor from Mom.

May 25, 2013, Saturday. I went to the NH about 10:30 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. I signed Mom out and spoke to Nurse Audra about Mom being afraid of C.N.A. Dalmacio. Mom was resting on her bed watching TV news, sound down, no glasses, no teeth, O2 on but nostril attachment not in her nose. She had a pair of her slacks on the bed beside her in addition to slacks she had on. We did some personal care and I called for assistance to get Mom up and ready to go for a ride in the car. Mom & I hung up some clean clothes I brought and C.N.A. Flo came and changed Mom standing up, very quickly and smoothly. Flo was perplexed by the change in Mom’s slacks stating that the ones on the bed were the ones Mom had on previously and they were still clean? Asking Mom “Who changed your slacks?” Mom didn’t recall. I mentioned the no teeth to Flo and she said she had noticed that when she accompanied Mom to her room after breakfast. We opened the blinds watched the birds and I changed the TV to the DVD. We went for a ride in the car even though it was raining. Mom was alert to her environment but also was sleepy. We returned to the NH. Mom was slightly reluctant to return but ready to have lunch. I accompanied her to the dining room for her lunch. I left the NH about 11:45 AM.

May 26, 2013, Sunday. I went to the NH about 2:40 PM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. I stopped by the Nurse station and checked Mom out then took the new supply of plastic bags for her laundry to her room. Mom was resting on her bed, O2 on, watching DVD sound up, wearing the new dress I brought yesterday. I called for assistance to change Mom then changed her myself. A C.N.A. came after I was finished and assisted Mom into her chair. I opened the blinds and we watched the birds. We did some personal care then we went to the car. Mom propelled herself independently most of the way. We drove slowly through the neighborhoods then went to the H.E.B. and bought birdseed. Mom waited in the car. We returned slowly to the NH. Mom was alert to her environment. She took her sweater off then rolled up her window without cue. I fed the birds again and we sat in the car and watched the birds then I accompanied Mom into the NH. I gave Mom a chocolate and assisted her back onto her bed, put her O2 on and turned up the sound on the DVD. I left the NH about 3:50 PM.

MAY 22 & 23, 2013

May 22, 2013, Wednesday. I went to the NH about 3 PM today. The blinds were partially open and vertical feeder was full. There was a Quaker Parrot on the fence. I added feed to the horizontal feeder. Mom was asleep on her bed, DVD on with sound down, O2 on but water bottle was out of place. There were fresh flowers and a banana peel in the trash indicating Carl had visited. Mom slowly awoke and said “Hi, Mel” upon seeing me. I gave her a chocolate and started to get her up but she was very wet. I called for help and C.N.A. Christine came promptly and I assisted her in changing Mom. Mom put on hand cream, brushed her hair then I got Mom into her chair.  We went to the activity in dining room II. Painting led by volunteer Pat was in progress and Mom & I joined. Mom did a watercolor very serendipitous but resembling melons or peaches. Mom said she was hungry so we went to the nurse station and asked for a yogurt. The nurse gave her a Boost pudding, very cold. We returned to her room, Mom ate and I changed the DVD. We watched the birds and I tried to get her to color but she didn’t want to. We returned to dining room II where piano and sing-a-long was in progress. I left about 5:15 PM. I met a lady in the parking lot who explained to me that the pigeons were speaking Hawaiian.

May 23, 2013, Thursday. I went to the NH about 10 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was resting on her bed, no O2, awake, jacket and hat on. I opened the blinds, gave her some hand cream and proceeded to get her up. I gave her a chocolate and we watched the birds while I brushed her hair. I accompanied her to dining room II for the Nail Spa. Mom chose some turquoise nail polish today and we did her nails. Then Mom and I walked around the facility. We stopped by the spinet in the dining room and we played some scales and arpeggios. We went out front and sat for a bit then went around outside then back to the covered patio. Mom got quite a work out propelling herself much of the time. I bought her a small package of Fritos then accompanied her to her place in the dining room. I retrieved her bib/towel from her room then left her eating Fritos, drinking cranberry juice and waiting for lunch which is listed as pizza today. When I left today all my worries seemed small.

MAY 18 - MAY 21, 2013

May 18, 2013, Saturday. I went to the NH about 10:30 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was resting on her bed, no teeth, no glasses, sound down on the TV.  I found her teeth in the container, brushed them and she put them in. Cleaned her glasses and gave them to her. She said she was hungry so I gave her a chocolate. We put hand cream on and I changed her socks to the new ones. I called for help to change Mom and C.N.A. came when I was about half done. We looked at some old photos. At first she couldn’t identify people but did after a few attempts. I got Mom up and we went to check her out for a ride in the car. Another C.N.A. gave her a yogurt while I got her checked out. She ate it all quickly. We went to the car and Mom propelled herself most of the way. We rode slowly through the neighborhoods then came South from Steck on Burnet Road, looking at all the stores. Mom was fairly alert to environment, indicating especially large trees, flowers or interesting stores. We returned to the NH and Mom said she was too tired to go inside but was not resistant to going back to her room. I gave her another chocolate then gave her the Doritos which she had won at Bingo and turned up the sound on the TV. I left her in her room in her w/c, brakes on, watching TV about 11:30 AM. I reported to her C.N.A. her return and location. I told several staff members about finding her with no teeth.

May 19, 2013, Sunday. I went to the NH about 10:50 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was resting on her bed, no teeth, no glasses, sound turned down on the TV. I gave half a banana to Mom and half to Tina. Mom’s teeth were in her shoes on the seat of her w/c. Apparently Mom had taken them out. I washed them and gave them to her to put in and got Mom up. I changed the DVD. We did some personal care, watched the birds and I also gave her a chocolate. We went to the desk and I checked Mom out to take a ride in the car. Mom propelled herself most of the way to the car. I showed the head massage toy. She had difficulty at first then did it properly after several attempts. We rode through the neighborhood and Mom was fairly alert to her environment. I needed gasoline so we went to gas station where I discovered I had left my credit cards in the other purse. We laughed then went to Fresh Plus grocery where I bought some garlic and some snap pea crisps. I opened the package and Mom ate crisps while we returned to NH by a circuitous route and I fed the birds again. Mom was a little reluctant to return to NH but I told her it was time for lunch. She left crisps in the car and I accompanied her to the dining room where serving had begun. I left about 12:15 PM.

May 20, 2013, Monday. I went to the NH about 10:20 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was resting on her bed, no glasses, O2 on but nostril attachment not in her nose, sound down on TV. I turned off the O2 machine, cleaned her glasses and got Mom into her w/c. I gave her a banana. She ate about half of it. We hung up the clean clothes I brought and we watched the birds. She was somewhat awkward but managed some of the task independently after practice. Today she noticed the scabs and bruises on her legs and seemed surprised. I brushed her hair and we went to nurse station to check her out for a ride. We heard the Sing-a-long in dining room II and joined that for about 15 minutes then we went to the car for a ride. Mom propelled herself most of the way and commented on the fresh air and breeze. When getting into the car I noticed excessive leaking from Mom and put an empty birdseed bag under her then got a rag from the trunk to soak up fluid from floor. We drove slowly through the neighborhoods then went to the gas station and I got gasoline. We mailed some postcards and returned to the NH. I put the birdseed bag on her w/c to protect seat which worked pretty well. We checked Mom back in and I assisted C.N.A. Flo in changing Mom.  I accompanied her to the dining room then left about 11:50 AM.

May 21, 2013, Tuesday. I went to the NH about 10:30 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom wasn’t in her room. I changed the DVD, opened the blinds and talked to the morning C.N.A. about persuading Mom to eat her breakfast. I told him about bribing her with chocolates. Mom was at the activity in Dining room II, washer tossing. I sat with Mom and we cheered and watched competitions. Mom was sitting next to Gwen who is a resident and also a volunteer. Mom said she was thirsty. I gave her a gumdrop then got her a scarf, some hand cream and glasses wipe from her room. Spelling was next and Mom said she wanted to participate. She spelled “gum” for me. I accompanied her to the TV room for the activity. Mom was alert today. I got her dirty clothes and left about 11:30 AM.



 

MAY 16 & 17, 2013

May 16, 2013, Thursday. I went to the NH about 3:30 PM. There was birdseed but I added more, blinds open. I took Mom’s clean clothes to her room and changed the DVD. The flowers in her room looked freshened up. I went to dining room II where bingo was in progress. Mom had created a “bingo” on her card and was proudly asking for her prize. I sat down with her and we played Bingo. Mom & I both got legitimate Bingos and won chips and a banana. Mom was impatient and sometimes tried adding extra pieces to her card exhibiting alertness and restlessness. She ate a packet of peanut butter crackers. After Bingo we went to her room and watched the birds and hung up her clothes. Mom was fairly good at problem solving and prompt with responses to cues. I brushed her hair, washed her face. We put on hand cream. We went for a walk around the facility and Mom propelled herself about ¾ of the time. She said she wanted to “go”. We went out front and sat in the shade. We went back to her room then I accompanied her to the dining room. She said that she wanted her banana so I gave it to her to eat. I left her there eating her banana waiting for supper. I picked up her dirty clothes to launder and stopped by to talk to Nurse Diane. I reported Mom’s restlessness and Nurse Diane said that her blood pressure had been very low lately and they had reduced one of her meds to 2x daily instead of 3x daily. I left about 5:30 PM. Later I spoke to Carl on the phone. He said he had visit Mom between 2 and 3 PM and had also given Mom a banana which she ate.

May 17, 2013, Friday. I went to the NH about 9:40 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was sitting in her w/c in her room, DVD on, sound down, bed in high position so she could not get into it, one brake on, one, off. I washed her face, opened blinds, cleaned her glasses and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride. We went to nurses’ station and I checked her out. We drove slowly through the neighborhoods. Mom was alert and noticed, identified plants and objects in the environment well. She said she was thirsty so we went to a convenience store and got a soda to share. We drove through 3 or so of the strip malls on Anderson Lane, looking at the stores, identifying them then circled Northcross Mall, reading the signs.  We returned to the NH. I fed the birds again then got Mom into her chair. We went to dining room II where the Rec. staff was making homemade pickles as a demonstration/entertainment for residents. I left Mom there and spoke with Nurse Diane on my way out. We discussed Mom’s alert demeanor. I left about 11:15 AM.

MAY 13 - 15, 2013

May 13, 2013, Monday. I went to the NH about 11:20 AM. I fed the birds blinds closed. Mom was on her bed with Luz the wound nurse checking her wounds which all look good. I opened the blinds. O2 machine was on but not attached to Mom. I started to get Mom up but she was wet so I put her back on the bed to change her. I called for assistance. I put wet pants in dirty clothes and started and was wiping Mom when C.N.A. came and finished changing Mom. We put cream on legs, arms and feet, and I cut her toenails.  I got hangers and we hung up her clean clothes which I had brought. Her problem solving improved as we continued the activity. She responded well to commands. We watched the birds and I brushed her hair. I accompanied her to her dining room. I mentioned to Nurse Diane about Mom’s teeth not being in at 3 in the afternoon, yesterday. Today her denture cup was still full of water, no evidence of denture cleanser. So I got out packets and left them on top of the bedside table, convenient to the denture container. We waited at lunch. Mom saw another residents’ Boost and asked for one which med nurse Eglise gave her. She drank it eagerly. We visited with Stan and his wife, Maggie, while we waited. She was served about 12:30 PM. I assisted her eating and noted her orders are now for “regular, mechanical soft”.  She ate about a little less than half. I gave her the cake and left her in the dining room about 1 PM.

May 14, 2013, Tuesday. I went to the NH about 3:30 PM.  I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was not in her room. I changed the DVD and took the sign about Mom’s teeth down to take home and improve it. Mom was in Dining room II at the monthly birthday celebration. I sat with Mom.  The entertainer, Lynn Thomas, was accompanying herself on the piano playing Broadway music, old favorites with high energy. Mom & I clapped, sang, and had pound cake and fruit punch. I accompanied her to her room and we did some personal care. I left Mom in the TV room about 5 PM.

May 15, 2013, Wednesday. I went to the NH about 2:30 PM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was resting on her bed, watching the DVD. I put the new and improved sign about her dentures on the wall. We did some personal care and I got Mom into her chair. I gave her a chocolate and she finished her Boost diet supplement. Yvonne came to help me but we were already on our way to the art program conducted by volunteer Pat. Mom and I did a watercolor which I brought home, today. I left her briefly and went to front office to make appointment to attend Mom’s Care Plan Meeting on Wed. June 5, 2013 at 3:15 PM. They were starting a volleyball game. Mom likes to play and is good at it. I took her to the “court” then I left about 3:30 PM.

MOTHER'S DAY, MAY 12, 2013

May 12, 2013, Sunday. I went to the NH about 3:00 PM with Mom Day gifts. I fed the birds, blinds half open. C.N.A. was brushing Mom’s hair and Mom had no teeth. I found them in the bathroom, brushed them and Mom put them in. I added a shirt, scarf & hat and slacks to Mom’s shift that she had on. Mom said she was hungry so I gave the last of the chocolate she had in her drawer. We did some personal care then I gave her gifts and cards to open in her room before going to the party. I gave her a glass necklace from Lu (but took it back home, later). From Brooks she got wonderful socks, card and Udderly Smooth cream; from Helen, card, photographs and chocolates. We went to the party and Riley was there talking with Pat, Pat’s family and Tina. We got a table and Carl & Charlotte arrived. Mom kept pointing out Carl’s car, enjoyed seeing it. We had cookies, ice cream floats and wonderful piano music. Carl twirled and Riley joked. It was fun. I accompanied Mom back to her room and we put stuff away then I took her to the TV room and left her watching basketball about 5 PM.

MAY 10 & 11, 2013

May 10, 2013, Friday.  Foxy & I went to the NH about 2:20 PM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. I told Nurse Audra I wanted to check Mom out for a ride and I signed her out. Mom was resting on her bed, O2 on, glasses off. I changed the TV to news and got Mom up. I put a light weight long sleeved shirt on her to protect her from Foxy’s nails. I opened the blinds and we watched the birds while we got ready. I pushed Mom most of the way. Mom propelled herself part of the way but she had difficulty with guidance. She was glad to see Foxy. We drove through the neighborhoods and went to the convenience store for a soda. Then I needed to go to the bank so we went on the highway and made the trip. The bank was very busy and we had a long wait. Mom said she made a mistake being born. The bank trip was a mistake. We went back to the NH. Foxy scratched her accidentally on the wrist. Mom refused to get out of the car. We watched the birds and I gave them more seed. We talked about getting her doctored and there was a party going on inside. She got out of the car. We went to the Nurse station and Nurse Ellen doctored Mom’s scratch and we went to dining room II and heard the music (Jon Emery), clapped and waved our hands to the beat. We sat with residents Tammy, Mary and a new lady named Olive. They were serving coke and puffed treats and Mom got a tangerine also. I said good-bye and left about 4:15 PM. Mom showed no anxiety at my leaving.

May 11, 2013, Saturday. I went to the NH about 2:50 PM. Carl’s van was in the parking lot and the birds were fed and the blinds open. I gave 5 little cheesecake torts to nurses station and had a piece of cheesecake for Mom. Carl was helping Mom eat a banana when I went to her room so I gave the cheesecake to Nurse to give to Mom later as a snack. Carl, I & Mom visited for a bit then I noticed Mom had O2 nostril thing on backwards, O2 machine off. I turned O2 on, fixed the nostril thing and cleaned Mom’s glasses. Carl took some pictures. He brought a Beautiful new bouquet of flowers, too. Carl left and fed the birds again. I got Mom into her chair and we watched the birds. A parrot came, too. Then I noticed she needed changing. I called for help. I assisted Mom to change her diaper standing up the way C.N.A. Mary had showed me. I was awkward with that procedure. I brushed her hair, we got hand cream out for legs and hands. C.N.A. Vanessa came but we were finished. I got Mom some slacks to put on under her bed dress and a scarf and I checked her out for a ride. She propelled herself almost the whole way to the car. We drove slowly through the neighborhoods then went to NW Park and parked in the shade and watched the people at the pool and park.  We returned to the NH. Mom refused to get out of the car so I told her I would get her coke and chocolate and they were having a party inside. She went in willingly. We went to dining room II where a piano recital by children was in progress. I got her a cranberry juice and a chocolate from her room. I changed her DVD to Carmen then left about 4:20 PM. I fed the birds again. Note: The C.N.A.s make about $10 -$12 an hour.

MAY 6 - 9, 2013

May 6, 2013, Monday. I went to the NH about 3:30 PM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom wasn’t in her room. I opened half the blinds, put away her colors. Dr. Maxwell was at the desk so we talked about Mom’s care. We also talked about art and Galveston. We also talked about leaving the brakes ON when Mom is in her chair. Mom was coloring at a table with other ladies in Dining room II. I gave Mom a banana and she ate about ¾ of it rather quickly. Dr. Maxwell came in and visited with me (us) in the activity also. She thought Mom’s diet should be (thought it was) “mechanical soft”. I don’t when or how it got changed but we agreed on ‘mechanical soft’ plus yogurt between meals.  I colored with her and visited with the ladies then left about 4 PM.

May 7, 2013, Tuesday. I went to the NH about 4:50 PM.  I fed the birds, blinds closed. I opened the blinds in Mom’s room and changed the DVD. I found Mom in the dining room II. I took her back to her room. We brushed her hair, cleaned her fingernails, washed her face and we watched the birds. Mom was in a good humor. From what Tina reported, Mom participated in crafts today but didn’t finish her project but left her table and wandered around the room. It was hard to understand exactly what Tina was saying as she digresses. I accompanied Mom to her dining room place and Maggie was there with her husband. We talked a bit and I got Mom a coffee. They were serving but I left before Mom got her plate at about 5:50 PM.

May 8, 2013, Wednesday. I didn’t go to the NH today. Carl reports that he went and Mary G. brought distilled water for Mom. He also reports that she got a card from Quembe and he read it to her.

May 9, 2013, Thursday. I went to the NH about 9:30 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom was in the TV room nodding off in her w/c, brakes OFF. She was glad to see me. We went to her room. I opened the blinds and we watched the birds. I cleaned her hands and gave her a banana. She had a crushed Boost box beside her and what looked like food spillage on her pants. She ate half of the banana and I trimmed her fingernails, brushed her hair, washed her face and glasses. The flowers looked cleaned up from Carl’s visit yesterday. C.N.A. Mary came in and we changed Mom’s diaper and pants. I changed her hat and sweater also. We hung up the clean clothes I brought. Mom problem solved very poorly at first but improved as we went along. We went to dining Room II for the Nail Spa activity with volunteers and many colors of polish. I assisted Mom and we painted her nails a lime green which she chose. She continued to nod off. We returned to her room and I assisted her to lie down on her bed. I changed the DVD and left about 11 AM.

MAY 4 & 5, 2013

May 4, 2013, Saturday. I didn’t go to the NH today.

May 5, 2013, Sunday. I went to the NH about 8:50 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. I walked past Mom in the TV room then had to go look for her. She was asleep in her chair, brakes off. She was glad to see me and agreed to wheel back to her room. Halfway back to her room there was a traffic jam so I pushed her. I opened the blinds and we watched the birds. We did some personal care. Mom’s skin tear and bruises on left shin are healing well. I gathered her dirty clothes to take home to wash. We looked at photos. C.N.A. came to take O2. Mom and I played patty cake, did some kicks and breathing to get O2 to register. It was good at 94%. I left Mom coloring and watching Carmen 2 on DVD. I put her brakes on, spoke with C.N.A. about putting Mom to bed and fed the birds again as I left about 9:50 AM. About 4 PM Riley said he was going to visit Mom.

MAY 1-3, 2013

May 1, 2013, Wednesday. I didn’t go to the NH today.

May 2, 2013, Thursday. Foxy & I went to the NH about 9:40 AM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. There was a sign on the exterior door indicating that the facility is undergoing Medicare/Medicaid inspection. Mom was asleep on her bed, O2 on, bed lowered very low, glasses on, teeth in place. I opened the blinds, put Foxy on her bed and Mom was delighted, petting Foxy fondly. We did some personal care and channel surfed on the TV., watched the news. We watched the birds and looked at photographs. Mom identified the photos as “my family”. She identified her parents correctly but mixed the names of siblings and children. We hung up the clean clothes I brought. Overall Mom’s problem solving skills have declined slightly. She can hang clothes correctly if I lay them out. Mom dozed off so I lowered her bed to reclining position and changed the DVD to Carmen. Foxy & I left about 10:30 AM.

May 3, 2013, Friday. I went to the NH about 7:30 PM. I fed the birds, blinds closed. The vertical feeder was still full so I surmised that Carl had visited. There were fresh flowers in Mom’s room so, yes, Carl had visited. Tina said he didn’t stay long. Mom was awake in bed, in pajamas, O2 on, no teeth (on her bedside table) no glasses, watching Carmen on TV.  She was glad to see me. I opened the blinds and we watched the birds. Two parrots came. Mom had a hard time understanding what I was saying. I cleaned her glasses, gave them to her and she understood better. I brushed her hair with the spray-on cream rinse and changed the DVD to Fred Astaire. I gave Mom & Tina a sugarless candy. Mom put on some hand cream then I closed the blinds and hung up her glasses. Nurse Audra came in and said the State had left and they had done well. She had done a double shift and was off for the week-end. I left about 8 PM. Mom was petting the stuffed dog.

APRIL 28 - 30, 2013

April 28, 2013, Sunday. I went to the NH about 2 PM. I fed the birds, blinds half open. Mom was sound asleep, O2 on, teeth in. Mom slept soundly. I checked her teeth container and both were dry and stuffed back in her drawer. There was no water in her O2 machine so I got water from top of closet and put distilled water in the machine. Tina reported that they couldn’t find her brush so I found the back-up brush I keep there and put it on the night stand. I went to Nurses station and reported that I had found the brush and filled the water. They said they had no budget for distilled water for Mom, that Hospice was supposed to supply it. I explained about the gallon that I had bought. I left the NH about 2:30 PM. Later I saw Carl and he had visited Mom after I did, about 4 PM. He said that Mom’s shin looked very bruised with scabs. He gave her a banana which she ate right up!

April 29, 2013, Monday. I got an email from Mary Gilmore, Hospice nurse saying that water for the oxygen concentrator is not necessary as long as rate is set at below 3 lbs. which it was. It was set at just below 2. Riley called and said that he would go see Mom today. He needs birdseed and will come by and get it plus a pudding I have for Mom.

April 30, 2013, Tuesday. I went to the NH at 9:15 AM this morning. I took the financial statements from the bank to Candy Sandlin for the Medicaid renewal application and we talked a bit. I signed in this time and saw that Riley had signed in yesterday about 6 PM. Then I fed the birds, blinds closed. Mom and Tina were in their room, sitting in their w/c’s. Mom’s bed was raised very high and her brakes were off. Tina says that Mom wanted to get into bed but couldn’t because the bed was too high. I put on her brakes, opened the blinds and I polished her fingernails. I brought her a chocolate pudding. She ate a few bites but didn’t want it. She was not thirsty either. Tom, from the State, came in with Nurse Diane and introduced himself all around. We did some personal care and channel surfed some on the TV. The Silver Strings Orchestra was performing in Dining Room II. We went to that. They are very good! I asked Mom if she wanted a coffee but she didn’t. Mom was very lethargic this morning but in a good humor. I gathered up the dirty clothes to take home for washing and left about 10:45 AM. A vertical cut to the sock tops so they don’t cut off Mom’s circulation also seems to make them unattractive to sock thieves.