Flash Cards and Pretty Hair Again

Hello my friends!  I pray you are all well and having a lovely week.  I heard there are terrible floods somewhere, but not sure where.  Please be safe and God bless you who may be enduring them.

This was a good day.  I'm still sad over recent events in my "beyond Mother" life, but I can only thank God every day that Mom is doing so well.  I have to let go what I can let go of -- especially, those things I have no control over.

I am very excited to have found a lady to do Mom's hair here in our tiny town.  It had to be JUST THE RIGHT lady.

My Mom is very demanding and not just anyone can deal with her.  I wanted a small place with one person.  The fewer people, the less confused Mom will get.  The beautician is older -- maybe my age.  I think Mom will be very relaxed with her as she tells her she doesn't know what she is doing, and she is doing it all wrong.

Mom insisted on a manicure and pedicure also, but this lady does not do those.  I may have to do them myself while Mom is getting her perm!



I wanted to tell you about my idea to help Mom remember that is working very well.

As you know, Dementia patients can't remember anything short-term.  Mom is on hospice, so there are several people who come by through the week to visit her.

There are also two ladies who "babysit" her for me so I can go to work.

Every morning and night Mom asks me over and over and over who is coming the next day.  She will walk down the hall to our bedroom late at night and stand in our doorway.  I will ask her what she needs.  She will say, "I HAVE to know something!  WHO is coming tomorrow to see me???"

A few weeks ago, I decided to make some "flash cards" for her.  I think I told you before.  I used 4x6 cards, and wrote with thick sharpies one name to a card.  Then I would hand her the names that would be coming on a certain day.

THEN, Mom started saying, "But I don't know what she looks like."

So I asked each lady if I could take her picture.  I now have new flash cards with names AND pictures so Mom will know who is coming and what they look like.  I put the cards on the kitchen table where she eats breakfast every morning; but yesterday, she decided she has to take the cards WITH HER and have them at all times so she can refer to them.  It is so cute.

A former neighbor and very good friend of hers calls occasionally.  His name is Fred.  He called earlier this evening.  He asked if he could talk to her.  I told him I didn't know if she would remember him.  She was right there near me, so I asked her if she remembered "Fred".  She said, "NO!  I don't KNOW that man!"

I told Fred I would hand her my phone, and maybe his voice would "ring a bell".  They talked for several minutes, and she remembered that he lived next door to her, and she asked him about her house that is now for sale.  Right after he hung up, of course, she wanted to know who he was.

Oh, almost forgot:  Friday is going to be a PLAY DAY for Terry and me.  A new quilt shop is having a Grand Opening in McKinney, TX, and we are going to check it out.  Terry is making a quilt for my Mom because my Mom TOOK the quilt Terry made for me that I keep in Edmond.  I don't need a thing, but I'm sure SOMETHING will jump into my arms while I am there.  I will let you know how it goes.

And THANK YOU to Lorinda who left me the link to the Dementia video and her blog about her Dad.  He saw INVISIBLE horses.  It was a wonderful blogpost.  Here is the link if you would like to see it:
 http://sew-i-do.blogspot.com/search?q=Dementia

TV time.  Jerry was gone all last week, and I am so happy to have him back home.  He helps me a lot with Mom if just to have eyes on the hallway while I take a shower or am upstairs.  He always fixes her TV when she presses all the wrong buttons on the control.

Hugs,
Joy