Moving On...

Photo is of the entrance to the Riverwalk.

In the past few weeks, things have been quite busy. My Mom remains in a rehabilitation facility and has been there for over two months now. Unfortunately, via some medical missteps, it looks like she will not return to independent living. I've been visiting her while Dear Son is at school, and that has taken up a lot of my spare time.

In addition, my apartment lease was coming up for renewal at the end of July. New owners purchased the property last year and are converting it to more of a resort community and therefore have raised the rents significantly. My new rent increased $300 if I took a 12 month lease and would increase $500/month for a month to month lease. Since I couldn't afford a rent increase, I began looking for a new apartment.

My apartment search was unsuccessful, in a way. Due to Dear Son's medical needs, I require a washer/dryer in the unit versus doing laundry outside of the apartment. In our area, only luxury apartments offer this amenity; the rest of the apartments have a general laundry area. In addition, I needed wide, three foot doorways to get him in/out of the apartment, plus plenty of room to get him in/out of the bathroom in a wheelchair. We also loved the riverwalk trail that you see in all of these photos. We walk them some eight months out of the year. I looked at other places but they either didn't meet our needs or were very "apartment" looking, for lack of a better term.

Photo is of the Riverwalk where the new owners cut down the trees. It always makes me sad when I see this. I doubt they consulted an arborist. They wanted to clear the trees to give tenants the view of the river and of the golf course. Unfortunately, there was a lot of wildlife in there.

During this time, I also checked out the Studio Apartment at my current property. It looked too small online to meet our needs but on a whim, I decided to check it out since the rent was close to what I was paying now. It turns out that while it was small, it was wheelchair accessible and met all of our needs. I liked the crown molding and I wouldn't have to give up our pretty riverwalk. I decided I'd rather have an apartment that was smaller and nicer than a larger apartment that wasn't as pretty or more "apartment looking". When I looked at other places, I could find some that were very pretty on the inside but didn't have a walking trail for us. Since we spend a lot of time walking, this was high on my priority list. Our current place had both and it was affordable. On the down side, it is 200 square feet less! I am moving from 850 square feet to 650 square feet with a disabled child in a wheelchair (translated it means he has lots of medical equipment/stuff, lol). On the plus side, with the addition of a small storage unit on the property, my new rent will be $30 more. In the past, they had given me a garage at no charge, to help with Dear Son however I will no longer have a garage.

While that sounds good, I needed to act fast to secure the new apartment. I had a choice of June 1st or June 15th and I chose June 1st since it would be a lot harder moving Dear Son once he is out of school. That means, I need to be ready to move in three weeks!

The new smaller apartment will be a challenge, in terms of space. While I love small space living, this borders a little too small for my taste however I know I can make it work and have it still look great. In these next few weeks, I need to pack, paint and clean my current apartment, plus sell some furniture. I also need to edit a lot of things because there isn't room in the new space for them. That's a lot to do! While I am organized, I needed to draw up a space plan on where everything will reside in the new space. That means, I need to change things around and re-organize items to fit the new space. I am doing all of that before I move.

In addition to doing all of that, plus visiting my Mom and taking care of Dear Son, I need to assist with the transfer of my Mom to a skilled nursing home. We did a Care Meeting this week and she will be discharged in less than two weeks. I found a wonderful organization that will help you navigate the system and help you find facilities called, "A Place for Mom". This website will match you up with an Elder Care Advisor to help facilitate the transition. They are paid by the facilities so there is no cost to you. The advantage is that since they help so many families, they also have a good idea of which facilities people like and don't like. If there are too many complaints regarding a facility, they will not refer you.

Currently, I am working on discharge planning and securing 24/7 care for her so she can return to her home for two weeks after discharge and then transition to a nursing home. That is a lot of change for her so I am working hard to be as understanding and compassionate as I can be to help her with this transition.

All of this has left little time for blogging, however I hope to start blogging regularly now.

Photo is of Dear Son after one of our walking sessions.

Now, onto the new space. Here is the floor plan of our new studio apartment.

Here is a photo of the "sleeping room".

Here is a photo of the other side of the room, which will be where Dear Son's bedroom will be. Due to Dear Son's disabilities, it helps me when I can see him and hear him since he can't move on his own. I know that is probably difficult to understand if you've never taken care of someone who requires round the clock care, but is understandable if you've been in my shoes.

A view of our tiny closet. This is a clothing closet AND it's our linen closet. Imagine that. I guess I will be purging some of my skinny clothes, lol. Only room to keep one size of clothing in there. I don't think I've ever met a woman with only one size in her closet. Have you?

I plan on having the living area in the center of the space. Here is a picture to give you an idea. I'll have the sofa at the end of my bed similar to this photo. In this photo however, the sofa is a bit too wide for the bed. It's pretty nonetheless.

A view of the kitchen with some ugly staging. Really ugly. On the plus side, I'll be taking pictures of my pretty kitchen tonight so hopefully I'll be sharing them with you in a day or so. I'll be painting this kitchen a new color too, changing the hardware, etc. In essence, making it look pretty.

That's all for now. Soon I'll be known as the Queen of Small Space Living. I have a lot of ideas on how to transform the space as well as utilize every nook and cranny. I'll be writing about those too.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is wishing all of the mothers a very happy mother's day! Dear Son made this card and these flowers at school for me.

On Wednesday, he came home from school and there was a note from the teacher that Dear Son had made "something special" for "someone special" and that he picked the colors for it. Typically, the way he would choose the colors is that they would present him with two different colors and he would have to select the color he wanted by gazing at it with his eyes or moving his head in the direction of the color. I told him that whoever would get that would be very lucky because he was very good at picking colors, lol. He smiled and was just beaming. I went on and on about what a good color picker he was and how lucky they would be. He loved it all. That my friends, seeing the joy in his face and eyes, was my mother's day gift. As a mother, all I have ever wanted was to see my son happy.

On Friday, he got off the bus, carrying the flowers in his hands. Actually, they were propped in his hands since he can't hold on to them and he was so proud. As he got off the bus, a gust of wind came up and blew them away but I managed to get them.

When we got inside, I oohed and awwed over them and he just beamed. Don't you love it when they do that?

Today, we'll take a walk outside and enjoy the beautiful weather together!

You have to admit, these tissue flowers are really pretty. I think you'll agree he's a great "color picker", lol.

Have a wonderful mother's day!

Happy Easter~Someone Special 2011: Charlotte's Web

Every year, many of the local Lion’s Clubs in the surrounding area host an annual event called, “Someone Special” where they celebrate the mentally and physically challenged disabled children and adults in the area. The concept is that they are special and in turn, they deserve a “special afternoon where they are comfortable, happy and celebrated for who they are.”

Photo Credit: Drury Lane Theatre

This year, the event would be E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web". The Lions Club has hosted this event for many years now, although we were unable to attend the last few years since Dear Son was often sick. This year they hosted 750 people. I personally love this event for several reasons, the first of course, is the beautiful theatre. If there is one thing I love, it's a gorgeous chandelier.

You have to love such an elegant setting.

It's been a few years since we've been here, but I couldn't help but notice how much Dear Son has grown! Here is a photo from six years ago when he was only 13. He looks so young!

Here he is with the clowns! I don't think he was as impressed with them today.
I think he outgrew the clowns a while back; here he is in 2007, four years ago. He looks like he's ready to cry or something, lol.Even Dad tried to get him to enjoy the clown.
Our next step is off to get the tickets!
From there, we had to wait a bit so we took some pictures. Here I am with Dear Son.And a picture with Dad.

The program for today...Check in and meet the clowns. Check. Enjoy the play. Have lunch in the Grand Ballroom with a special appearance by Ronald McDonald.
Next is off to see the play. Pretty theatre. Of course I took more pictures of the chandeliers. You know I really like them.They cleared out a special section in the rear of the theatre, just for the wheelchair guests. It worked out great. Here is Dear Son waiting for the play to begin.I couldn't help but take a picture of this pretty little girl all dressed up for the event. She was sitting in front of us and when I asked if I could take her picture, she jumped up and twirled around. It was cute.More chandelier photos. Yes, I am obsessed. I love pretty, elegant things.More pics of the kids in wheelchairs in the back of the theatre.Another picture of Dear Son.

After the play, it was off to the Grand Ballroom for lunch. Dear Son really enjoys this part. He likes all of the balloons and all of the people. He liked his pink pig too. They gave all of the kids a pink pig Beanie Baby to go along with the event today.
Here he is at the event in 2005 admiring the balloons. They put a balloon on each chair and then the kids get to keep the balloon when they are done. You can see how much better Dear Son was back then. He looked heathier, was more animated and able to enjoy the day.Finally a little smile. He's looking up at the balloons.
He ended up falling asleep during the meal which was around 11: 20 a.m. or so. One of the men at our table asked why he was sleeping. I guess it's hard for people to understand when kids aren't well. Dear Son isn't able to stay awake for a full day or even half day at this point. He does all he can to be awake and present three mornings a week when he goes to school. He sleeps the entire day after that. Just disease progression.Here is another picture (above) after lunch. He is holding his little pig. If you look closely, you can see his yellow balloon in the mirror. I tied it around his wrist. He really loves playing with balloons. What a difference from four years ago where he was laughing all the time.

More laughter...
Playing with the balloon was short lived. Umm...Dad accidently let it go...
As we were leaving, Ronald McDonald walked by...I mentioned to Dear Son that he was probably going to McDonald's. He thought that was funny. Ah, I can still make him laugh.

A special thanks to the Lions Club for making it such a great day.

Happy Easter!

Klonopin Manufacturing Issue?

Is anyone having an issue getting Klonopin filled? Our local Walgreen's filled a partial order last month and said they could not fill the remainder of the order due to a "manufacturing issue". They said the problem started with the 2 mg tablets and then patients taking the 2 mg tablets switched over to the 1 mg tablets and now those are gone. In addition, the product was on back order for months and now they will no longer accept Klonopin prescriptions. I contacted them again this month and was told there was a manufacturing issue and it could not be filled. I asked to speak with the pharmacist there and she did not have any other information other than the information from the wholesaler that said it was on backorder. I contacted Osco Drug and they mentioned the same thing.

I contacted our neurologist at Big Academic Medical Center and this is the first he's heard of this issue. (Big Academic Medical Center uses the generic Clonazepam in their formulary.)

I went to Roche and couldn't find any press releases on any issues so I sent them an email and left them a voice mail. I also went to FDA.gov to determine if there were any safety recalls or issues and couldn't find anything. I've done countless google searches and have not found any information.

Interestingly enough, I did find a post where someone mentioned that pharmacies were being pressured by insurance companies to only offer the generic drugs in an effort to reduce their costs.

I am aware that the Klonopin wafer was discontinued however these are Klonopin tablets. We have attempted the generic Clonazepam a few years ago and it was not very effective and Dear Son had an increase in seizures.

Thanks.

Individual Education Plan Follow Up

Photo of Dear Son and Mr. H (his classroom aide) in the pool at summer school.

Several weeks ago I wrote a series of posts on, "How to Raise a Happy and Healthy Severely Disabled Child". As a follow up to that post, I thought I would share some of the comments that were included in the hard copy of Dear Son's Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting that I received this week. Dear Son's IEP was in early March and is a meeting where a student's individual education goals are made and shared with the entire team. They also summarize the student's achievement in the past year in several key areas: academic achievement, social/emotional/behavioral functioning, cognitive functioning as well as several other areas. Many of the summaries demonstrate Dear Son's happiness and are a pleasure to read. Some of the comments that made me smile were:

-"He loves being part of the group and is always smiling when other are around."

-"He continues to track voices and activity and especially enjoys it when other students are misbehaving."

-"He enjoys being positioned where he can view the most activity."

-"He is very easy going and "goes with the flow" when the schedule is changed." (A change in routine or schedule is not easy for some disabled children.)

But my favorite comments were given by the Occupational Therapists when she had to list Dear Son's strengths. She wrote:

-"Very engaging and aware of others and his environment."

-"Gets excited about novel and preferred activities."

-"Laughs joyfully."

-"Has preferences and attempts to actively influence situations in the classroom."

-"Can really have a presence in the classroom."

His challenges were the things that he couldn't change such as being dependent for all self care and mobility and limited communication skills.

Overall, I have a nice young man who is happy and is a pleasure to be around. His teacher said that the students and staff really enjoy it when he comes to school and they all wish he could attend daily (he is only able to attend three days a week due to his endurance/medical issues). In addition, he is much like any other teenager, wanting to check out the action and laughing when things go wrong. I love the fact that he is an easygoing young man.

Photo of Dear Son at his classroom graduation party last year.

This IEP summary has been similar to nearly all of the rest of them over the past eighteen years (well, technically, he didn't start school until he was three, lol). While it may be true that some children have issues that even the best care and love can't resolve, I feel good that the hard work that Dad and I have done over the years has paid off. I tell Dear Son every day that I have the "greatest kid in the whole world" and I mean it. But to see things in print, still continues to make my day, even after all of these years.

Note: Dear Son is nineteen years old and attends a day program offered through the school district for developmentally delayed students 18 and older. Dear Son has intractable seizures, dystonia (movement disorder) and is severely developmentally delayed as a result of a random mutation of the ARX gene; he also has a progressive neurological disorder.

Delay

I am sorry about the delay in postings. My mother is in a rehabilitation facility (physical therapy) and is having several medical issues that are not being addressed properly and without intervention, she could have died. We are still not where we need to be but I met with the Adminstrator today to resolve these. This is proving to be a lot on top of caring for Dear Son. This has been enormously stressful for me. I can honestly say that I have not been this stressed in years. I haven't been able to sleep this week since I have been sick with worry. As a general rule, I am not that type of person but when you know your mother is being neglected and suffering, it's really hard to function. My sister and I are working together on my mother's behalf, which makes it easier.

On a positive note, Dear Son continues to do well. He still has some bad seizures but overall is making some remarkable progress. This week, he was able to raise his chin up when I shaved under his chin. Each time I asked him to lift his chin up, he was able to do it. I was so proud of him and so excited! This has never happened before. In the past, I might ask him to do something and you could see he understood it and wanted to do it but it would take a little while for him to get his body working and then he may only be able to do part of what I asked. Now that he's taking the organic, virgin, coconut oil, he seems to be able to coordinate his mind/body better. I have increased his dose from 1 tsp to 1 tbsp/day and that seems to work better for him.

In addition to moving his chin up, he was able to move his hand out of the way the other day, prior to me lowering the bed rails. Typically, I have to move his hand out of the way, before I lower it. The other day, he moved it out of the way himself. This was huge! I can not explain why this necessarily is working so well for him but only that everything seems to be better. Please note, Dear Son stills sleeps a lot after school and it hasn't changed his diagnosis or anything but he definitely looks better, seems happier and is able to do more things than he has done in the last few years.

IEP(Individual Education Plans): What Should You Do When They No Longer Meet Goals

Today was Dear Son's IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting. This is an annual event where the parents, staff (teacher, therapists, district) sit down together and go over progress during the past year and set new goals for the coming year. It can be an exciting time and a time to get involved in your child's education. In the early years, I would start a few weeks prior, creating what I thought were meaningful goals for Dear Son and working with the therapists to create goals that I thought would add real meaning to Dear Son's life. This means goals that would help Dear Son do what he wanted to do.

Over the past few years, Dear Son had numerous hospitalizations and has been diagnosed with a progressive neurological disease. During that time, it was a lot of work for him to be able to come to school at all and just make it through the day. Some days he would sleep at school but it was also good sometimes to get him up for the sake of his lungs, move him around and aspire to a somewhat normal life. During this time, it was also apparent that the old goals of putting Dear Son in a stander to help him get stronger and stand, were no longer "appropriate goals". From there, I had to shift the focus to more of a caretaker or caregiving goals. The staff wasn't quite sure what to make of this in the beginning, since they were used to more formal or traditional goals however as we go into the second year of these "caregiving goals", I think they are infinitely more comfortable with them. These caregiver goals were things that the doctors recommended that we do to keep Dear Son well. Instead of therapy goals, I like to call this, "Dear Son's Wellness Plan". This shifts boths the goals and the mindset to that of preserving health and wellness and doing things that help Dear Son maintain the health he has. For example, I have asked his school nurse to perform the following tasks when he goes to school:

• Range of motion on his arms, legs and fingers to preserve mobility and to prevent contractures.
• Massages his arms and feet with lotion while he is in his wheelchair; this prevents edema.
• Listens to his lungs so I know if they are clear or if he is coming down with something.
• Performs chest PT to help keep his lungs clear.
• Go to the mat table for more chest PT.
• Works on endurance for sitting. They allow him to sit up as long as possible and then move him to the mat table to lie down once he verbalizes it or simply after a set period of time.
• Gives him 1/2 can of formula prior to coming home for lunch so he won't be hungry.

I have explained to the group that the two main priorities are: respiratory and leg massage. Since Dear Son can't clear his airway, it's important to perform chest pt daily. At home I use the nebulizer once a day and do chest pt and when he's at school, the nurse performs chest pt. The cardiologist at Big Academic Medical Center recommends leg and foot massage to keep the edema (swelling) down in his legs and feet. I do this daily at home and it makes a big difference. Massaging his feet and legs daily keep the swelling down. Even missing a day makes a difference since you can feel the hardness in his legs. In terms of his throat, when he started getting some congestion, I wasn't clear if it was due to his throat muscles deteriorating and if it was saliva or true congestion so I asked if they could listen to his lungs every day and let me know.

In addition to these things, he participates in the class for morning homeroom and morning exercises. He listens to music and is given sensory items on a tray that he likes to feel and which helps him move his hands. He enjoys things like rice or cooking and mixing things with his hands. These encourage movement. They also use a therapy ball with him and another student to help him continue to move his legs. I talked to them earlier this year about working on his legs and showed him some exercises I was doing with a therapy ball to help keep them moving and active. For a long time, this wasn't working at all, but now, after starting the coconut oil, he seems better able to move and function easier. For his hands, they also have him hold onto musical instruments which he enjoys. All of these things help Dear Son keep some use of his hands.

The school has also offered to help me with any of the tasks that I do at home. It is a lot of work caring for Dear Son 24/7, especially with the medication schedule and giving him medications every six hours as well as starting the early morning feedings plus repositioning him in his bed and turning him over every two hours. Today, we agreed that they would help with his arm splints at school, placing them on his hands/arms. I also asked them about helping me with his oral/motor therapy for speech therapy. Last year's speech therapist created a plan to help him relax his muscles so I could brush his tongue easier. By brushing his tongue and keeping the bacteria at bay, it helps keep him well.

Dear Son also has a bus aide that helps him on the bus. He makes sure that Dear Son has his hat/scarf on when he enters and exits the bus and that he gets on the bus quickly in the cold weather to lessen his exposure to the cold.

Overall, it was a good meeting. By getting everyone involved and having everyone help with his care, Dear Son benefits by getting all of his medical needs met by a variety of people, plus he has fun! His teacher is wonderful and patient. She had Dear Son a few years back so she knows what motivates him. His therapists are working with the nurse to help create meaningful tasks that help Dear Son stay well. They also incorporate his wellness plan into the classroom activities. For example, they talked today on how they do chest pt to the music when they have music therapy in class. This makes it a lot more fun that doing chest pt without music.

Perhaps the most surprising thing at the meeting today was that they told me that Dear Son enjoys sign language. The Social Worker has been introducing sign language to the class. Just words here and there but she hasn't put the words together for a sentence just yet. They say that Dear Son is fascinated with this. Dear Son does not have nor does he have any hearing issues and for all functional purposes, does not have use of his hands. I have to wonder though what he is thinking. I wonder if because he is non-verbal, that perhaps when everyone uses sign language, it may level the playing field. So not only can't he talk, but no one else can. I find it fascinating and wonder what he is thinking. I also love the fact that I found out something new that I didn't know about my lovely Dear Son. Don't you just love it when you find out things about your children that you didn't know?

Overall, it was a great meeting. I feel that Dear Son is getting the best possible care out of his education and that he is in a good spot. I can not emphasize enough how important these tasks are to helping him stay well and I am blessed to have so many people help him achieve these goals.

So in the end, the IEP can be just as valuable when your child has medical needs or has a progressive disease as when they don't. Shifting the focus from goals to wellness still has a positive impact on your child and also helps them be the best they can be. And ultimately, that's the goal of the IEP.

And finally, thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful comments on Dear Son's You Tube video, both on the blog and on Facebook. It was really nice.

Sunday Visitation with Mom

I walked out into the hallway, past the parade of wheelchairs filled with old, dying women and men, and into the lounge area. The nurse had come into my mother’s room to assist her with the bed pan so I took it as my cue to leave the room. I provide enough care to Dear Son at home and it’s hard to take on any more here. I walked into the lounge and sat at the table, turned off the t.v. that no one was watching, and looked through one of the magazines that had been sitting in the magazine rack. This particular therapy rehabilitation center was better than most, in my opinion, because the smell of urine didn’t permeate your pores when you entered the facility. The staff seemed friendly, nice and respectful of the patients that were there. I must say that even after a few visits to see my mother, I remain somewhat impressed with the facility, despite it’s outdated decorating. No one said a place has to be well decorated to be good but gosh, the shadowboxes of the straw hats with silk flowers around them really dated the place. So that’s where those awful decorated straw hats went.

It was Sunday and one of my two days off for the month. Dad takes Dear Son every other weekend, after he works a full twelve hour day on Saturday, so I get Saturday night, Sunday and then Monday morning to sleep in, sort of, or at least sleep in until I have to get up for work. I had slept in until 7 a.m. on Sunday and came to see my mother in the afternoon. Despite my limited time off, I was looking forward to the visit. No one knows better than me, just how long the days can be, when you are stuck in these facilities. I’ve done enough hospital visits with Dear Son to understand that horrible feeling, as if you are never going home.

What bothers me most about these places are the people in the wheelchairs that sit in the hallways. Most of them are sleeping and look like they are propped up in the chairs to die. I suspect that all of the therapy in the world won’t heal them because the emotional depression will kill them first. The lack of caring on the family members part, is evident in these expressionless bodies. It’s sad really. As I walk down the halls I was reminded of the physical therapy rehabilitation facility that Dear Son went to a few years ago. It was an adult facility that had a small children’s ward or group of rooms. The children’s rooms were located at the end of the hall off the main area. There were electronic codes to access the rooms so that the adult dementia patients or anyone else couldn’t access the children. I spent the whole time there with Dear Son as I normally do, but the part that bothered me the most was the walk down the hallway with all of the wheelchairs lined up. The old men and women littered the hallway so much so that there was barely any space between the chairs. As I would walk down the hall towards Dear Son’s room, a few of the men would yell out at me, trying to get my attention. It was a bit frightening I must say. I guess the first thing that came to my mind that it was more like a scene from , “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” than anything else. In reality, these were nothing more than very lonely people, some with dementia I am sure ,but mostly, just lonely people that had been here a very long time. It bothered me that no one came to visit these people, but it bothered me even more that no one came to visit these kids. One of Dear Son’s former classmates was in the room next to ours and her mother never came to visit in the weeks we were there. I wrote about it here, a very long time ago.

This time though, it was Sunday. I was here to see my Mom and was sitting in the lounge. This place also does manicures for the patients and my Mom was the recipient of a manicure and dry shampoo the other day, both of which she loved. She raved about how nice her nails looked and how good her hair felt. As I waited in the lounge for the staff to help my mother with her “business”, I overheard another lady talking to her mother. The lady was mid sixties, I’d say, dressed very elegantly in black from head to toe. Her mother, some twenty plus years older, sat engaged, in a wheelchair. The lady was giving her Mom a manicure and talking to her as they went along. She was telling her Mom about the car she owned, a Jetta, and how she recently got a magazine from them on how to "jazz up" her Jetta. She explained that they had floor mats with the Jetta logo on them and how she wanted the Jetta sunglasses that she spied in the magazine. She went on to say that she showed her son the sunglasses when her son pointed out that they weren’t sunglasses but tailpipes for the Jetta that had white circles around them! With that, I let out a big laugh, since I just couldn’t help myself. After all, it was too funny. The women were cracking up as well and they delighted in the fact that I found it funny as well. At that moment I thought about the mother in the wheelchair and just how rich she was. She was rich because her daughter had taken time out of her day to spend with her. Not just talk to her but to laugh with her, have a real conversation with her and to pamper her. Yes, she was rich compared to the lady sitting outside the lounge area, just eight feet away, who moaned every three seconds and never stopped. Pain, perhaps. Most likely, just lonliness.

About that time, my ten minutes or so was up. That’s about the time it takes the staff and my Mom to do her “business” in the room so I returned. Sister and friend were there and the three of us talked some more keeping my Mom entertained. My sister had made a blanket for her, with cardinals on it, my Mom’s favorite bird. My Mom has been at the facility for nearly a week and every day my sister has come with new flowers for her. Orange tulips on day 2, yellow daffodils on day 3, yellow roses on day 4, pussy willows on day 5, etc. Sister and I had been splitting up the time with my Mom, making sure one of us could be there every day. We sat around talking, having some good laughs and overall trying to keep my mother’s spirits up. I knew only too well, that the time we spent there would not be long enough. After all, when you are in a hospital or any facility day after day, there is nothing you want more than a home cooked meal, to sleep in your own bed and to be in your own home.

After a few hours, I left the facility. As I walked down the hall, I saw the same people sitting along the walls. There weren’t as many in the hallway as there were at the other facility Dear Son was at a few years ago, but still, these were people who were forgotten. True, there were people in the rooms that just as lonely and bored, but the people in the hallway bothered me the most. Bothered me, because I knew that this goes on all over the country. As I waited for the elevator, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What the heck were people doing that they were too busy to visit?” I mean really? There isn’t any time in their day to visit their family? None? I try not to be judgmental but gosh, these are some pretty long days. Is this the best we can do for these people?

As I waited what seemed like an eternity for the elevator, I heard the staff member talking to the patients in the hallway. He was a chipper man doing his best to keep the spirits up at the facility. He was trying to get a response from a woman regarding whether or not she wanted a manicure. She said nothing and sat there motionless in her chair. In desperation, he gave her a choice: he said, "Would you rather be dumped in the river or have a manicure?" The ladies laughed at his good naturedness and I knew at that moment that he was worth every penny that they were paying him. The elevator door opened and with that I left. As I dropped off the visitor pass, I counted my blessings. With that, the wind hit my face and cold, damp air shocked me back into my own world. How blessed I was to be walking outdoors, to go home and have a home cooked meal, and to sleep in my own bed. Rich I’d say, yes, I am rich.