We (my partner and I) spent the last month in New Orleans caring for his mother. She fell and broke her hip. To top it all off, she has mild dementia where she forgets the short term memories, she doesn't remember why she has a painful hip. Thankfully, she knows us. This one of the most difficult times in our lives, even compared to my cancer journey. Exhausting. There was so much to do and figure out. The medical care was mostly done by the skilled nursing facility. But we had to advocate for her. We would spend our lunch and dinners with her. Change her diaper, dress for bed, cleanse her. In the meantime, we would work behind the scenes figuring out bills, healthcare, house, car and preparing to fly her to a beautiful memory care home near us. We are now able to be with her anytime we want. That is the gift, but it sure is hard when the parent-child dynamic changes. Here's a few happy snaps from our time in Louisiana. The last photo is a project that I worked on during the long hours sitting with my mother-in-law. It helped to keep my hands busy.
Crawfish season!
Monarch beauty
A smoothie and taking in a quiet minute on Lake Pontchatrain.
Audubon park walk to clear our heads.
This was what I made.
1 comment
Hugs to you and your partner. It’s such a hard situation! My siblings and I went through the slow but steady progression of age related dementia with our mom. It is heart wrenching and no one is prepared for it, neither the family nor the person experiencing it. We all just do the best we can and keep on loving our loved ones. ❤️