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Mom says it is best to be seen AND heard

Caring for an aging parent

I witnessed a mini miracle this week.  It’s been difficult to get mom to all the specialists she needs to see since my dad passed away seven months ago and we moved mom into her assisted living.  Hearing aids was next on the list.  Part of the reason it’s been a chore to get her to her appointments is that I have a full time job and my appointments and many of my kid’s appointments were set aside so we could help care for mom, dad, and my husband’s mom who passed last December.  Appointments got backed up and oh by the way, I missed a ton of work.  So we slowly chip away at the list.

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Sharing memories with ‘the besties’, a werewolf, and a few vampires

Happy Days

A few weeks back, my 15 year old daughter got wind of the official Vampire Diaries convention in downtown Atlanta and just had to go AND wanted to gift the experience to her bestie as a birthday gift.  She convinced me it would be fun and that I’d enjoy the convention as well since I have watched all the V.D. seasons and the last few with her…it’s been ‘our show’.  Once I committed to the tickets online and digested the price tag for the general admission one-day pass and a photo op with Stefan and Jeremy’s characters, I really just had to get used to the idea that I was donating one of my full weekend days for the good of two excited girlfriends.

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Top 10 reasons We Chose Mom’s Assisted Living Community

Caring for an aging parent

First, let me start by saying that there is no perfect assisted living.  Afterall, I don’t know of one person who has  chosen to live their twilight years in an assisted living.  The phrase assisted living simply means you have lost partial control of your daily activities.

When we started looking for an assisted living last summer, my dad was in the hospital and we were focused on a place for a couple.  Frankly, we didn’t know the timing or the details, but we were confident that my dad was no longer going to be able to help care for my mom and my brother and that they needed to be closer to family.  

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My brother’s best friends are Hooters girls

Happy Days

 I have an older brother (brother #2 out of 3) who is developmentally disabled.  Today is his 52nd birthday and to celebrate he wanted the family to come to his regular hangout – Hooter’s.  When we moved my mom to assisted living last August, brother #2 moved in with brother #3.  Brother #2 enjoys playing Bingo, watching Netflix, and frequents Hooter’s several times a week.  He’s like their Norm from Cheers.

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How to have ‘the talk’ with your Parents about moving in to an Assisted Living community

Caring for an aging parent

The reality is that I had several talks with my parents encouraging them to simplify their lives by downsizing and finding a place where life could be easier for them.

Sadly, I feel that I have been grieving my parents for over a decade.  They had been slowly killing themselves with complications from morbid obesity and diabetes.  It’s been devastating to watch and frustrating to witness the pain their addictions with food and sedentary lifestyles have caused themselves and their families.

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Throw up Thursday

Caring for an aging parent

Earlier today, I thought I’d write a Throwback Thursday post and tell a great past story.  But, then my day felt more like ‘Throw up Thursday’.  I already knew this….but today confirmed that I’m a creature of habit and I thrive in structure, I can get by on a day with little structure, but I really don’t like a whole day of unexpected crazy.

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Medicinal Writing

Mental Growth & Hobbies

There are lots of things I love about my 77 year old mother and a few big things I’d love to change.

Once I came back from the hair salon with my haircut shorter than usual.  My husband commented that I was looking more and more like my mom.  I freaked out!  My mom used to say that when she was my age she started gaining weight and falling apart.  This frightened me.  My mom is morbidly obese, has type II diabetes, relies on personal assistance for most everything and her mobility is limited with a walker.  Her mind is still great – thank God!  So you see, hearing that you are looking more and more like your mom…isn’t music to my ears.

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