This Belongs To...

We are in a "holding pattern" on the big move to the Assisted Living Facility (ALF), known as Southridge. I have done all I can do on my end... the rest is up to DHS. The life insurance check arrived in the mail yesterday - one more piece of the puzzle is set. My grandmother is getting antsy... she is ready to move, and the longer she sits and stews, the more anxious she becomes.

Today, I am going to my Mam-ma's house to start labeling her clothing and the things she plans to take. In true "Mam-ma style," she started without me. She told me last night she had been labeling her underwear. I questioned... did she use a "Sharpie" marker? No... she didn't know what she used. Now, I know she owns a Sharpie... we use it to write the name of her "nerve pill" on the cap of the medicine bottle so she can distinguish it from the others. I told her, "I hope you used something waterproof, or all of your hard work will come out in the wash." She said, "I hope so, too!" Finally, I was able to determine that she did indeed use the "Sharpie" marker she keeps for her medicine. I asked her not to label anything else... I said, "I'll be happy to do that for you."

I also told her that I will clear a closet today, so that she can start hanging clothing there that she knows she wants to take with her. It will give her something to do. Nearly every day, she is telling my mom on the phone that this is "too much for Debbie." Mom has assured her that it is not... that a lot of the "after" work will be done when she returns in March. And as far as Mam-ma needs to know, that's the truth.

The other interesting dynamic has been the input from others. Almost daily, Mam-ma's Home Health aides are telling her this or that about "how it will be at Southridge." Much of their information has been innacurate. One aide told her that Home Health could still come and care for her in the ALF. If you are a "private pay" resident, you could probably pay Home Health to sent out aides. But Mam-ma is not a "private pay" resident, and her care is included - and provided by Southridge. Another aide told Mam-ma that she did not need to take linens... bath towels, etc. - that these would be provided. So Mam-ma was not happy that I spent her money on new towels. I assured her that our "Resident's Manual" clearly states that bed linens, towels, toiletries, etc., are the responsibility of the resident and not provided by Southridge.

Mam-ma's friends are asking her continually, "Polly, when are you moving?" Polly doesn't know, and this is getting on her last nerve, understandably. I know people mean well... and these people all love my grandmother dearly... but they don't realize that she is already a bundle of nerves, and more care needs to be given to what is said to her about the move at this point.

Hopefully a Medicaid nurse will come soon to evaluate Mam-ma. Hopefully she will deem Mam-ma a suitable candidate for Medicaid coverage for this move. Hopefully the DHS case worker will complete her paper work quickly once the nurse's report is filed. And hopefully, Moving Day will come very, very soon!

Meanwhile, we'll keep labeling...