Mom is Coming Home
We just got word today that mom can come home from Rehab tomorrow morning – a week earlier than we had expected. Needless to say, mom is thrilled at the prospects of being home again, and dad is quite excited also. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings. Honestly, it has been very nice having mom in a place where I knew that they were taking very good care of her. The food there is fantastic, the workers are extremely pleasant and friendly, and her care was wonderful. She has gained an incredible amount of muscle strength through her two-a-day physical therapy sessions, and they are fanatical about making sure that her food and fluids are exactly what she needs. Consequently mom is actually in better overall 
health now than she has been in the last two years. It has been nice for me to have them watching over her continuously to make sure that she does what she is supposed to and also to make sure that she doesn’t cheat on her diet or fluid restrictions. It has been wonderful to take a break from being the decision maker, the judge and jury, and the task master. Now she is coming home I am worried that she will fall back into her old habits of cheating on her diet and fluids and she will get lazy about keeping her muscles in good shape. I am worried that she will try to con dad into giving her food that she shouldn’t have, and that dad will constantly be calling me to ask my advice or permission.
On the other hand, is it fair for us to force mom into eating only what is healthy? Is it fair to deny her the pleasures that she craves and enjoys and make her miserable in the process? Is it up to us to decide what she can and can’t do and eat and drink – or is it up to her? Honestly her memory is so poor that I don’t think that she can make an informed decision regarding that – she only knows that we are being mean to her. This is so tough!
Anyway, regardless, she is coming home tomorrow. Her wheelchair won’t fit into her bathroom so tonight Kim and Mark cut a bigger door and cut down the vanity so that she has enough room to get her wheelchair close enough to transfer to the toilet and tub. It is so nice to have such handy men in the family! First thing in the morning they are going to run and pick up a new wide door. It will be so nice, and I’ll bet that mom is going to love it!
health now than she has been in the last two years. It has been nice for me to have them watching over her continuously to make sure that she does what she is supposed to and also to make sure that she doesn’t cheat on her diet or fluid restrictions. It has been wonderful to take a break from being the decision maker, the judge and jury, and the task master. Now she is coming home I am worried that she will fall back into her old habits of cheating on her diet and fluids and she will get lazy about keeping her muscles in good shape. I am worried that she will try to con dad into giving her food that she shouldn’t have, and that dad will constantly be calling me to ask my advice or permission.On the other hand, is it fair for us to force mom into eating only what is healthy? Is it fair to deny her the pleasures that she craves and enjoys and make her miserable in the process? Is it up to us to decide what she can and can’t do and eat and drink – or is it up to her? Honestly her memory is so poor that I don’t think that she can make an informed decision regarding that – she only knows that we are being mean to her. This is so tough!
Anyway, regardless, she is coming home tomorrow. Her wheelchair won’t fit into her bathroom so tonight Kim and Mark cut a bigger door and cut down the vanity so that she has enough room to get her wheelchair close enough to transfer to the toilet and tub. It is so nice to have such handy men in the family! First thing in the morning they are going to run and pick up a new wide door. It will be so nice, and I’ll bet that mom is going to love it!
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