April 13, 2002
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I stopped by Friendship Manor yesterday to inquire about their Alzheimer’s facility and to take a look around. They have two people in each room, which may or may not be a good thing. Forty-three people are in the ‘wandering’ unit. One must be moved to a new level if bedridden. To be honest, I was not impressed. The gathering area and the dining room are one and the same. There are long rows of tables, like in a school cafeteria, with a television to the side. On the other hand, I didn’t notice any nasty odors and the residents looked happy. All I really have to compare it to is Alterra. Alterra wins hands down on appearance and atmosphere. They provide single rooms, with much prettier furnishings. They have divided the facility into four ‘houses’ and each has it’s own kitchen and dining room. The day rooms have couches and chairs like you would find in your home. While I was unhappy with Alterra when Mom spent the weekend there, I think I may have judged them too harshly. One disadvantage is Alterra is across town, while Friendship Manor is just blocks away from me. Which brings up yet another dilemma. Since I am living in my Mom’s house, I may not be living here if I place her in a facility. I have no idea if my siblings would agree to it. We really need to have a family meeting to discuss this and other issues, so I can proceed with my life. These questions are on my mind:
1. Where is Mom going to live? I still have other facilities to check out, including another one that is nearby. Something else I must remember is just because a place looks better to me doesn’t mean Mom would like it better. Alterra looked far better than the Adult Care Center, but Mom did much better staying overnight at the ACC. Speaking of the Adult Care Center, Mom is giving them a bit of trouble. She refuses to use the bathroom the entire time she is there. I honestly don’t know how she can hold it so long. That would be terribly painful for me. She has also refused to eat the spiked pudding lately for them. While she jokes around and hugs and kisses people there occasionally, most of the time she sits staring out into space or with her eyes closed. She is not taken on field trips anymore at all. I don’t blame them, because her behavior is very unpredictable. So far they haven’t sent her home, so that’s good. ------------------------------------------------- On Thursday I had to take Chris to the doctor for a sore throat (strep, I suppose) and as luck would have it, I had to bring Mom. She did okay for the first hour or so, but things went downhill after I tried to take her to get something to eat. I left Chris alone and planned to go to a drive-through with Mom. She decided to pace the parking lot, refusing to get into the car. That turned into a major fiasco and I herded her back into the office without ever leaving the parking lot. They called Chris back as soon as we returned and Mom paced and tried to get out for the next thirty minutes. I had to stand by the door and block her each time. She was fussing and calling me names and going down the wall, pushing on all the windows to see if they would open. Back and forth she went, with me telling her we had to wait for Chris each time she tried to push by me. Fortunately the place had emptied out by then, so we were only entertaining a handful of people. Finally she gave up and sat down at the same moment they were finished with Chris. Chris got some antibiotics and is all better now. In fact, he is working right this very minute. All’s well that ends well. Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. . |
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