For most of September, I have been on an unexpected hiatus. I needed time to finalize plans for my mother’s service, pull my thoughts and words together for a eulogy, and spend time with my visiting family. I debated how to approach my next post as I have focused (understandably so) on Gretchen’s passing. I … More Once in a Lifetime
The second I saw the Capiz shell wind chime in the store, I thought “mom.” A Capiz shell is a round, nearly flat shell and is thin as glass. In their natural state, they are a shiny white, but these store shells were dyed in beautiful shades of turquoise, purple, pale green and yellow; some … More The Colors of the Sea
It has been months since I wrote about my 91-year-old mother Ginny who resides in Memory Care (the highest level of nursing and trained staff to help with behaviors associated with dementia and memory loss.) I had really liked that November post because we had shared a nice Thanksgiving meal and live music that evening … More Putting On Brave Faces
Ten days ago, I began to receive an unsettling drumbeat of emails from the senior residential community where my 91-year-old mother Ginny lives. August 28th: “We now have 2 confirmed cases in Memory Care.” August 29th: “we currently have two (2) positive cases in Memory Care and two (2) positive cases in Assisted Living.” August … More Delta Developments
My primary goal with writing this post is to get input from readers. We had an experience a few months ago with an Independent/Assisted Living home, and I would be interested if anyone can shed some light on whether our experience was unusual or not. I’m going to skip through some of our ongoing story … More Questions: A Story About a Senior Housing Lease
About two months have passed since our decision to move my 88-year-old mother Ginny into a senior living facility. The best news we received in that time was that she would not be forced to sign a year lease by September 1st after all. Working with the realty company, the condo owners agreed to no … More Get Off of My Lawn: The Elderly and Negativity
We remain in town a little longer to make sure my mother Ginny is o.k. from her fall. (See Part I). As it turns out, we also have to say goodbye to Summer. No, it wasn’t the changing of the season but rather Summer is the name of Ginny’s caregiver. I haven’t spoken much about … More A Story of Signs Part II
I get up at 6:30 am so I have enough time to write a little, shower and pack. We are headed over to Clearwater (a 2 ½ hour drive) for a late Mother’s Day visit. We plan to take my 88-year-old mother Ginny out to dinner and stay for a couple of days. My phone … More A Story of Signs Part I
I have a featured Guest Blogger this week named Pete Springer. Pete is the author of They Call Me Mom, a book based on his 31 years of experience in the classroom. Pete spent years caring for his mother. That story continues here in Part 2. It offers insight, advice and a real glimpse into … More Helping an Elderly Parent : Part 2
I have a featured Guest Blogger this week named Pete Springer. Pete is the author of They Call Me Mom, a book based on his 31 years of experience in the classroom. Pete spent years caring for his mother and has generously written about it. I’m sharing his story over two weeks. Here is Part … More Helping an Elderly Parent
Leaving The Door Open 