"Mother" report

I'm thinking a report on Mother's recent travels might be informative to family and friends. I'll not try to be too specific on days and times because they (days/times) have kind of started running together.

Several days ago, Mother started losing ground on several fronts:

• She was disoriented. She would ask the same question several times. Sometimes it was a legitimate question like, "what's the name of the town where you're leading the music now?" Sometimes the question was off the wall. She wondered once, "Who is Grady Joiner?"
• She was anxious. She was pulling the little "help" string in her room up to 40 or 50 times a day. She would be wanting someone to watch her remove her socks. She wanted someone in her room with her. I came one day last week because of a frantic need. While I was there, Carol called. Carol knew of the "emergency" but didn't tell Mother she knew. When Carol asked, "How do you feel," Mother said, "I feel fine. I'm weak but I feel fine." I then asked her why she had scared me with the emergency call. She said, "I had to think of something bad so you'd come."
• She was very shaky/wobbly. When she tried to get to the bathroom, three people were needed to keep her from falling. Her muscles (arms/legs) were jerking very badly.

So...we talked to Mother's doctor, a good friend of mine, who suggested we put her in the hospital for a few days and see if we could moderate some of the medications, some of which are really powerful narcotics. The assisted living place transported her to the local hospital. We (Carol, Jo, and I) spent the nights with her for four nights and stayed with her all day/every day at the recommendation of her doctor. If Mother has a bad fall, lots of bad health issues could follow. She has improved enough so that now she knows she must have help to get to the bathroom. We're not worried that she will try it alone.

We returned to the assisted living place (Governor's Ridge) yesterday. I spent the night on her couch. This morning, I hired a lady to come to her room each morning, bathe her, dress her, help her with breakfast, and do some light cleaning in her room. We're hoping a few hours in the morning will be sufficient.

The doctor has done enough tests to know that Mother does not have Alzheimer's. He typefies her condition as "senility." In 96 years, I'm guessing nearly anyone would have most of these symptoms.

Senility Symptoms include: Stooped posture, wrinkled skin, decrease in muscle strength, changes in the lens and muscles of the eye, brittleness of bone and stiffness of the joints, and hardening of the arteries are among the physical changes associated with old age. The mental changes associated with senility include impairment of judgment, loss of memory, and sometimes childish behavior. The actual psychological changes are thought to be related to aging of the cortical brain cells. Whereas the physical changes associated with aging occur in all individuals to some extent, evidence of psychological degeneration is not universal. In common usage, the term senility is applied only to mental deterioration.

Mother's gentle spirit continues to amaze everyone who meets her. She is always thankful for whatever service or task is done for her. She calls everyone, "honey" and thanks them several times for everything. Her hearing and her vision are both pretty well gone.

So, that's the report. If it weren't for the promise of Heaven and home, we would be in sad condition. If it weren't for Jesus, there'd be no promise of Heaven and home.

By the way, nobody wobbles in Heaven.