Tuesday 1st March 2011
The care home reopened today as they were now bug free, mum had gone upstairs at the hairdressers to have her hair done so we went up to see her, she was really confused that we were there with her and wondered how we had got there, the hairdresser hadn't started her hair so we took mum out to the upstairs dining room for a chat, mum was really crabby and asked us where we had been and why we hadn't been into see her, I tried to explain about not being able to go in because of the bug and that NO visitors were allowed, I told her that the home had allowed me to see her for a short time last Thursday but she had forgotten that completely, she said that she thought that she was going to die, we think that perhaps that may be because she hadn't seen anyone for such a long time.
While mum had her hair done we went off to get a coffee at Costa coffee shop, when we got back she was in the dining room, she said 'where have you been' so she had remembered we had been in earlier. John had taken some coloured juggling balls in with him and asked mum if she could tell him the colours but she couldn't remember any of them. We stayed with her until they served lunch. John asked her when was she going to come to our house, she pointed at me and said 'when SHE says so'!!! So John asked her if she would like to come to lunch on Sunday, her face lit up, so when we left her she was happy.
I phoned Daph in the evening, she said that Michael had told Peter that he had been into see her on Saturday and that mum had passed wind very loudly and said 'Christ I s**t myself ' (Oh dear, mum what are we going to do with you!!)
Sunday 6th March
We picked mum up at 10am, she was sitting out the front waiting for us, Karen said that she had been a bit tearful this morning, on the way home she had told John that she kept crying but she didn't know why and that it was not like her, she was fine when we got her home she had a slice of Matts birthday cake and a cup of tea, she told us that it was her birthday today!, she said that Michael hadn't visited her but I knew that he had, I phoned Linda to ask if she had been tearful yesterday, she said that she had been fine, no tears at all, she must just be having an off day.
Matt, Kerrie, Laura and John came to lunch too and mum was really happy to see them all, she did have trouble remembering their names, she ate all her lunch and some of mine too. She dozed on and off during the day, she said that she didn't think that she would go back and that she would stay here, she told John that she was really sorry for being a nuisance. We played a couple of games of cards with her until she said that she didn't want to play anymore.
Her leg was really red and her left ankle was swollen, I rubbed some E45 cream into her leg, I got her to take the E45 cream back with her.
She said some really confusing things while she was here, when I said that she was confused she said that, 'yes she was' and that she was like it all the time now.
We took her home about 5ish and she was happy to go back in, Tina asked her if she had a nice time and she said 'No, not really' and one of the other asked the same thing an she said ' I didn't go for a good time'
She seemed to buck up as soon as she got back and didn't look so pale, I think that she may be suffering with travel sickness.
When we left we told her that we would see her again on Wednesday, I think that not seeing anyone when the home was close really upset her more that we realised.
Monday 7th March
Daph, Dib and Hilda went into see mum, Daph said that she was still very weepy and that she couldn't remember her name, she told Daph that she had been here but also said that she had been here for 3 days.
Wednesday 9th March
Mum wasn't so tearful today, she told us that she was pleased to see us, she was as Daphne says 'happily confused' She said that she had been out and I said, that's right you came to us for the day, she said, did I, I didn't think that it was your house that I went to, she also said that she had been out and upstairs, we couldn't really understand where she meant she had been, she thought that she was going out with us again today, we had to tell her that we couldn't take her out as we were busy today, she looked at me and said 'Oh yes, you always say that', she turned to John and asked if he was working, he said no he wasn't, she looked back at me and said, well he will take me out. I told her that Michael might take her out when he visits next Saturday, she replied 'Huh, he might do'
We had a walk down to her room she was very stiff but much better when we walked back to the dining room, we stayed until they were getting ready for lunch, all in all she was much better today.
Saturday 12th March
Teresa phoned, she said that mum was very weepy, she couldn't remember who Teresa was, (she had been away for a couple of months in Australia) when she spoke to mum and told her who she was mum said 'Oh yes, how is Lissa'. she then said that she thought that Teresa had been washed away! We think that she must have been watching the news on the TV about the tsunami in Japan.
She said that mums toenails were very long and needed cutting I told her that I had asked twice about them being cut and that I would ask again on Wednesday.
Wednesday 16th March
We got into mum earlier that usual, she was sitting in a chair by the computer, her face lit up when she saw John and said, 'where did you come from', she was very weepy again, she kept on saying that she was really wild with someone and that she was cross, she said that she had told them that, OK, she wouldn't say anything then..she mentioned something about me and that she wasn't having that, as I was always there, then she said something about Michael. I asked Tina if she fallen out with anyone as she was upset, Tina said not that she knew about.
Tina told us that mum had flashed her boobs when she was in the dining room, she had undone her blouse and lifted her vest, I think that she may have been looking for her handkerchief, Tina said that John, one of the other residents, was sitting opposite mum, poor man.. mum told Tina that it didn't matter.
We got her to walk back to her room, she wasn't keen but we took her anyway, her teeth were on the floor of her room so I picked them up and went to put them in her bathroom and there was a strange lady sitting on mums loo.. I went and got Jessy the carer and she sorted her out, Mum said come on, let's get out of here!
We got waylaid by a new resident called Jessica, she talked and talked, I think that she will get on mums nerves as mum was a bit restless around her. We took mum into the dining room and sat round the table with the other ladies when it was time for us to leave she wanted to go back to the chair where she was when we first came in.
I got Tina to add mum to the chiropodist list to have her nails cut, he was coming in this afternoon, Tina said that mum had deteriorated but they did still managed to get her to have a laugh..
I felt like I was in a comedy show today, very surreal.
