High School Reunion
Mom received an invitation to her high school reunion and wanted to attend. She thought about it and debated her options for being able to go. She decided to go to the Friday night event and realized she needed to line up care for Lyn. Lyn would not be able to attend. It would have been late, with many people and Lyn would have had great difficulty attending.
Mom considered several options and reached out to the Alzheimer's Association in the process. They recommended that Mom line up the services of a care provider from Comfort Keepers. While Mom could have asked Lyn's regular respite provider if she could do it, Mom didn't want to ask her to work overtime. Mom ended up interviewing with Comfort Keepers and decided to enlist their services for the night.
As the date approached, Mom and I had several conversations about her reunion. I could tell it was important to her. She wanted to go. She was also debating with herself. She would contend that she didn't know what to wear, that it would be easier to stay at home, that it would be costly to have someone come stay with Lyn even for a few hours. There was fear, doubt and guilt being expressed. All I could say was supportive words like "I hope you go. I think you should go. You'll enjoy yourself. You need a night off."
Mom went. She assures me she had a delightful time. She was able to reconnect with folks from high school, even encountering an ex-boyfriend. The exchanges were relaxed. Her class mates and their spouses were charming. The tone of her description of her night out include pleasure, relieve and delight.
As for Lyn, she enjoyed herself. She was at home with Nikka and the staff from Comfort Keepers. She had one-on-one care and was the center of attention. They played games. Lyn was relaxed and happy.
So, for both, the night was a great success!
Mom considered several options and reached out to the Alzheimer's Association in the process. They recommended that Mom line up the services of a care provider from Comfort Keepers. While Mom could have asked Lyn's regular respite provider if she could do it, Mom didn't want to ask her to work overtime. Mom ended up interviewing with Comfort Keepers and decided to enlist their services for the night.
As the date approached, Mom and I had several conversations about her reunion. I could tell it was important to her. She wanted to go. She was also debating with herself. She would contend that she didn't know what to wear, that it would be easier to stay at home, that it would be costly to have someone come stay with Lyn even for a few hours. There was fear, doubt and guilt being expressed. All I could say was supportive words like "I hope you go. I think you should go. You'll enjoy yourself. You need a night off."
Mom went. She assures me she had a delightful time. She was able to reconnect with folks from high school, even encountering an ex-boyfriend. The exchanges were relaxed. Her class mates and their spouses were charming. The tone of her description of her night out include pleasure, relieve and delight.
As for Lyn, she enjoyed herself. She was at home with Nikka and the staff from Comfort Keepers. She had one-on-one care and was the center of attention. They played games. Lyn was relaxed and happy.
So, for both, the night was a great success!
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