Guest guest Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 And it's my mom's 80th birthday. It should be a joyful occasion. Our family is so close-knit, and we've always celebrated birthdays and anniversaries and everything you can think of with huge family parties. But this year...this year it's different. I've talked with Mom several times today, and she doesn't have any comprehension of this being her birthday. I feel that there won't be another birthday celebration for Mom. I don't know that we'll have another Christmas together...even Thanksgiving. I've always loved shopping for gifts. This year, though, her birthday gifts are housecoats and gowns. She never dresses any more. She will occasionally get up and sit in her recliner, but it's so dangerous to let her do so because she forgets she can't walk. Hospice has told us that one more fall and they will have to report it and if that happens, the state will come in and require that she be placed in a nursing facility. Her need for care is so great for even the simplest of things...she will not get what she needs in a nursing home and it will only hasten her death. Her conversations are so limited...she asks if I'm going to get their groceries for the week. And then minutes after I bring them in, she asks if I'm going to get their groceries. And 10 minutes after I get home she calls to see if I'm going to get their groceries. That's the only conversation I have with her any more. My daughter and her husband have been together for almost 11 years, and Mom doesn't remember his name. Now, if he walked into the house, she would call him by name, but putting him and my daughter together as husband and wife is beyond her capabilities. She remembers names and faces, but connections are lost. She remembers my name, but she doesn't remember who I am to her. I think she sees me as the person who gets their groceries for them. Anyway, it's a sad kind of night, and I'm grieving big time for my Mom. There's joy that she's reached her 80th birthday, and sorrow that she had to reach it in this condition. Damn this disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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