Elderly Mothers

August 3, 2017

Elderly Mothers and their Relatives

There are a lot of us visiting our relatives @CarriageInn. It is always a surprise to me to see who is here. We are a quiet sub-group of our society—those with elderly parents who can’t keep our loved ones at home. All of us coming or going through the halls, greeting each other with wintry […]

Elderly Mothers
July 29, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Medicare

Who knew there was a difference between Medicare A and B? Yesterday I took Mom to hear the wonderful Dan Phillips do a presentation on his @PhoenixCommotion. He builds fantastic houses here in Huntsville out of left-overs and remainders and trash. I thought she would enjoy it. I sat her right up front. She never […]

Elderly Mothers
July 25, 2017

Elderly Mothers and their Walkers

It’s all about balance. Recently, as Robots and competitions to produce a good one become more popular, I’ve seen clips of two-legged robots struggling to walk. Inevitably, they fall over in spectacular falls. They try to lift a foot to step up onto a platform. Slowly, they begin to tilt backward, their weight shifting, and […]

Elderly Mothers
July 19, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Fragile Skin

The problem is healing. The smallest cut or scrape can open a wound that will take weeks to heal. I’m no doctor. At least not that kind of doctor. I don’t know whether to leave the wound open to dry out or cover it with anti-bacterial ointment and a bandaid. If the Retirement community had […]

Elderly Mothers
July 18, 2017

Elderly Mothers and their Caregivers

I am back from my wanderings and my 98 year-old mother has not wandered off with her husband, Al, much as she might like to. He is still in Virginia and will not return until October if then. Or so he told my sister. There is little doubt now that Mom has reached the point […]

Elderly Mothers
July 4, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Independence

“I don’t know why my daughter is so worried about me,” Mom said to her table-mate, Diana. I was leaving for a week-long trip.   I had reminded her I was going, wrote it on her large wall calendar, left notes around her room and let the staff of the Retirement Community know that I would […]

Elderly Mothers
December 19, 2015

Good Friends and Past Neighbors

Twenty three years ago we had the good fortune to live next door to the best neighbors ever, Jann and Pat and their two precious daughters, Keelin and Aislinn. The girls were then about five and eight and Hubby Flatbottom and I enjoyed them as if they were our own. It was like having favorite […]

Elderly Mothers
November 27, 2015

Elderly Mothers and Independence

  “You’re making me so dependent,” Mom said yesterday as I brought her breakfast tray. She wasn’t really complaining. Sort of a backhanded thank you for bringing her meal. I thought about that for a while. Probably true. And probably not a good idea to do everything for her, considering the fact that she will […]

Elderly Mothers, General
November 15, 2015

Elderly Mothers and Water

Back from San Antonio to find that the OC (Other Caregiver) has successfully steam-cleaned the carpet. Blessings on her little pea-picking heart! It looks much better and Mom is happy. Of course Mom helped by getting down on her hands and knees to use a scrub brush to get the spots out. I knew she […]

Elderly Mothers, General