Easter Monday 2009

Who doesn't love daffodils? They are still blooming here and I made mom an Easter bouquet yesterday along with some lovely grape hyacinths thrown in for some contrast. Her room smells soooo good!

You'll notice a little Easter wreath that Connie made for me several years back that I have surrounding the little jar. I have the hardest time getting to her site, but I know she can feel the good thoughts I send her way at times. Such a sweet person. And speaking of sweet, while I don't' have a picture of it, Pea's sweet bunny she sent me a while ago sits on mom's bed. We giggle at it each time we look her way. Such lovely folks out there in blogland, it does the heart good.

Mom was in good spirits today as normal. I arrived a tad late and she had already started her lunch. She's eating well these past days which makes me so very happy. There were several days there in the beginning where she snubbed her nose at anything brought to her. She truly is settling in nicely. The nurses and therapists, aids and just everyone is as sweet as can be and even more helpful, if you can fathom that. A new-to-me RN came in this afternoon and told me how mom was doing (good) and explained a lot of stuff to me. Then it came time for her PT. We rolled down to the PT room and I even had the therapist put weights around my ankles too so I could do the exercises with mom. Hey, whatever works. And Lord knows I need it too! Always had those chunkum legs. She did really well watching me and mimicking my moves.

After leaving her to rest, I ran over to the kid's school to pick him up as storms were rolling in. Of course the rain held out until the bell rang. So all the kids got totally drenched including mine. Appropriate for Easter Monday.

Then the real storm hit. We weren't home ten minutes when a phone call came in from the nursing facility made by the social worker. I would call her more of an anti-social worker. She told me that mom's rehab was at a standstill and medicare would stop paying pretty soon. There were no long-term beds available so I better start looking elsewhere. Wha??? That is totally the OPPOSITE of what I was told by two nurses and her therapist today. I was taken aback and thrown into an absolute tailspin. Everyone has been so nice there, and for me to receive this call after having so much positive info given me earlier in the day from everyone else was a total shock to my system.

Of course, I ran over to another nursing facility in the area, terrified they were throwing mom out onto the streets. It looked like total junk as they are in the midst of a renovation. But the director was so very helpful and set my mind straight again. She gave me a lot of much-needed information which gave me enough energy to head right back to where my mom was and meet with this so-called "social" worker. She was about the age of my great niece and didn't know a whole lot about much except the fact that mom would be released soon. After speaking with her and telling her about what the nurses and therapist had told me today, I marched right on over to the admissions lady, who is just as nice as can be. She went over her records and it said that mom was making progress which means she is not being released. Geesh. At this point, I am completely beside myself. It's absolutely gut wrenching when one tells you one thing and the other something totally opposite--especially when, at this stage in mom's progression, there is no where to take her where she will get the care she still needs so badly. This is my mom. I just want to scream and cry and call President Obama and say "Please, get rid of this health care bureaucracy, especially when it comes to the much-needed care for our elderly!" OMG.

Sorry. This post started out so positive and ends on such a sour note. But I just need the release, it seems. I'm sure tomorrow will be better. How's that for putting the p back in positive? I'm trying, at least.

xo
ro