February 1 – “She’s in there again”

We had a home visit yesterday from a nurse representing the Meridian.  That is one of the places here on the island that provides resident living facilities for senior citizens.  They were checking to see if Mom would benefit from any of the services they provide.  We do want to do whatever is best for her.  The whole thing didn’t start out on a very good foot, to be honest.  They office called about 1:00 to arrange for an appointment and asked if someone could come by that day around 2:00.  I checked with Chris and then asked a few more specific questions about what they would be doing and about how long would it take.  We had to pick up Cailyn from school at 3:00.  She said she would have to check with the nurse who would do the actual visit and promised to call me right back.  Well, that never happened.  No return call at all.  But right at 2:00 the nurse drove up anyway.  Just didn’t seem like a very professional things to do.

But we got past that and they did the interview.  I say “they” because she brought along someone who works at the Meridian “because she was bored.”  Interesting comment.  The questions were pretty much what I expected.  They call it the BIM questions (whatever that stands for), and the questions haven’t changed much since Dad thought they were the dumbest things he ever heard.  What day is it?  What month is it? What year is it?  Now that particular question brought a funny moment.  Mom said she had no idea what year it was, and the nurse replied, “That’s OK.  It’s 2013.”  Her “bored” accomplice quickly corrected her with a not-so-quiet attempt at a furtive whisper, “It’s 2014.”  I just about guffawed out loud.  We finally got to ask some of the specific questions we had, and she did the same to us.  As a result it became obvious right away that they didn’t have the kind of facility that Mom would do well in.  They have totally independent living, which she cannot handle.  She has to have someone with her 24 hours a day.  They do have a rehab facility which is not a permanent place.  And then they have what amounts to a bedridden ward.  The nurse said that is absolutely not what Mom needs either.  She needs a place where someone can administer her medications, and help her to the bathroom, and fix her meals.  But she also needs the stimulation of social interaction and activities.  So she falls into the middle category of services that they do offer.  She did recommend a place in League City called “The Cottages.”  So I guess for the foreseeable future we will continue with what we have been doing.  Chris is a fabulous full-care nurse, of course.  Nathan and April are good about coming over to help.  And we do have Jennifer to come in and stay here on those occasions when we need to leave town. 

I have to add one more thing here.  I mentioned that we picked up Cailyn, and she stayed with us for a few hours.  She was on the floor working very hard at drawing pictures and cutting them out.  Every so often Mom would make a comment about a drawing or ask what something was.  Cailyn was pretty patient with her.  But at one point Cailyn turned to me and said, “I wish MeeMaw was not here sometimes.  I wish she would go away.”  I tried to keep it simple and just asked “Why?”  Her reply was classic.  As she pointed to her temples, she said, “She just keeps getting inside my head.”  Well, OK, then.  I think I understand that.  I assured her that everything was fine, and that her head had plenty of room in there.  Then a few minutes later Mom spoke up again.  Cailyn turned and looked at me with one of her sly grins on her face and said, “See?  She’s in there again.” 

Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Father, thank you for those special people in our lives who “keep getting inside our head.”  Help me to add to those thoughts memories that fit the qualities in those verses.  Amen.