Good evening, all.
Hope you had a festive Thanksgiving and a lovely long weekend. Is anyone else surprised at the vibrant colours in the trees, after the dry summer we had?
Well, Alice went home today. She was pumped for it and excited to be going. Unfortunately, she had the time wrong. She thought her chariot (Joyce and Clarence's chariot, to be precise) was arriving at 2 pm. So she was lounging in her pajamas when they arrived around 11 am!. She had a quick shower and a change of clothes and off she went. Did very well with her new burgundy walker on the way down to the car.
She quickly ran out of steam, however, and had to be carried into the house on a kitchen chair. Then a brake on her walker jammed--the finest minds in the house couldn't fix it, so it's going into the shop tomorrow. We slid her across the kitchen floor in the chair and set her at the head of the table. She looked carefully around and said later that she had been noting all the things that needed doing.
Washroom visits proved to be quite the challenge--Alice's legs wouldn't hold her up and so four of us were jammed into that little space--Joanne would lift Alice in a 'bear hug' and then 'dance' her around in a tiny circle, while Joyce snatched the walker (Alice had been sitting on the seat of the walker and letting us wheel her around) out of the way. I was there for...ahem...clothing adjustments and remote guidance ("one more inch...no...left, left...good!") I'm sure Alice would not be thrilled to know that I am describing this to all of you! Perhaps we'll keep this our little secret, okay?
She had turkey dinner with Doug, her sisters and their husbands and Joanne and I. There were lots of stories, teasing and laughter around the table. We had three kinds of pie; pumpkin, apple (wow, Lisa!) and peach. We ate a little later than planned and forgot the stuffing in the oven. In short, a normal holiday dinner for the Aldersons.
Alice napped in her own bed after dinner and had a cup of tea when she woke up. We headed back to the hospital while we all had enough energy to manage the transfers and lifts that were necessary. Fatigue really takes its toll on her coordination, She had a little better command of her feet after her nap, but still needed to be lifted in and out of the car. She's not very big, but I couldn't have lifted her all those times. As ever--thank goodness for Joanne!
She enjoyed herself at home and said that she had the best nap she'd had in a long time. She was disappointed when it was time to return to Woodstock Hospital, but at the same time, I think she was relieved, too. It was a day of trouble-shooting and haphazard choreography for her care-givers--I'm sure it can't be re-assuring to hear a debate on the best way to proceed when one is waiting to get to the washroom! I think she relaxed a bit when we re-entered the hospital, knowing that her professional care-givers were much better equipped than the amateurs she spent the day with!
Joanne and I had spent the weekend with her family in Bayfield. I had last seen Alice on Thursday of last week. We arrived at Doug and Alice's after she had entered the house. I must admit, I was shocked at how weak she was. She could not support herself on her feet, nor rise without the full support of two people. I could feel her arm bones as we held her and I worry for her poor weakened bones as we had to lift and move her. She is getting weaker.
I'm glad that we did this. I'm glad that my aunts are braver than I and could agree to help her through this. But I do not want to do it again. My stomach was in knots the whole afternoon and I think the chance of calamity was high. We did very well, however and I think we accomplished something very important for Alice today. Her continued decline makes it increasingly difficult to keep her safe.
Okay. I must be off. I'm home in my own bed and plan to spend a lot of time there, in the next few days. We'll be back in Woodstock on Friday afternoon, for the weekend.
I must apologize to some folks--I have realized that some names had fallen off my list. I don't know how or when this happened and I'm very sorry. I think I have you all back in place now.
Take care of yourselves. Dress warm.
love, Robin.
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