1/15/04

Hey Everyone,  I got an update on mom from my brother who is down there now and thought I would pass it on.  There hasn't been a lot to talk about down there and Dad has not been to good and he now doesn't like you to get on the computer or the phone when you are there with him.  Our plan is to move them to Houston the first week of Feb to an assisted living place about a mile from Anna's and my homes.  

Hope all is well with all of you and I will keep you updated. See Below.

Love,  Mary

We had a good day today. It started off kind of on a shaky note as dad said he was sick. He complained of soreness in his legs and across his shoulders (back).  He also said he was cold. I ran through the warning signs of a heart attack and he said he wanted to go back to bed. He did and slept until the cleaning lady came. He felt better so we went with the plan.

Nothing unusual with Aunt Jay. He definitely has little tolerance for his foibles. I can see how she gets under his skin. He also feels like he is declining fast. She is definately bummed watching his decline. She was saying things like he was so smart, now look at him.

Anyway we got back to DM and mom had her eyes closed. It looked like she was trying to get to sleep after here pm workout. Dad did not get the idea of just sitting here and letting her sleep. He was clicking his fingernails in her ears, making a whooshing sound, etc. I took him outside for a while and then we came back in after 45 minutes. Mom was awake and had been changed.

The big news is that Mom turned her head to look at the picture wall!! I had not seen her do that. She was laying down looking toward the other bed. I had been going through some pictures that i had brought down and thought that i should get some of the board on the wall, as she had not seen them in a while (at least since i was there.) Anyway i was pulling a few off the board and after about 2-3 minutes i turned around and she was looking right at me. She had turned he head to see what i was doing. I know her head position was big deal to the PT guy at the hospital and that was the first time i saw her do that. So i think that was good.

From what i have seen is that he really wanted to be with mom at DM. He is not comfortable without here at home. But when we do take him to see her he is not really helpful. I think that mom is distracted by us when we come in during her PT session. And he can not sit still and just hang when she is not in PT. I have found the best time for them to be together is at lunch when they can both be eating. In the evening he is "klicking" at her, "whooshing" at her, putting his hat in her face, saying "are you sleeping on the floor?" I think he is annoying her.

 Anyway, i will end now. Take care, Love to all. tom