Very good point...
...made by Deb Peterson in her comment to my last post and one that applies in Mom's and my situation, although I hadn't thought about it until Deb brought it up. Even in a place like the rehab facility in which my mother currently resides, where staff is rotated regularly and daily from floor to floor, which, I understand from one of the nurses, the staff, for the most part, doesn't like, he tells me they'd rather be floor regulars so they can get to know a set of patients, it is impossible for my mother and me not to become familiar, in bits and pieces, with the lives of those who work with my her and me. There's the nurse with whom I had an extended conversation about her husband's interest in switching careers to computer programming or web design. There's a CNA who has a year old daughter who hopes that her daughter will be there for her the way I am for my mother, someday, so we compared brief notes on certain traits that probably guaranteed that I would be "here" for my mother with traits her daughter has and, well, it looks good for the Mom. There's a bond I have with yet another nurse who, although he divulges little about himself, has a brain like mine so we are very comfortable discussing my mother's condition in detail. Yet another CNA and I spend time comparing notes about her family and what my mother's family used to be like and I've discovered that she is an excellent mother in much the same way my mother has been. There's another who CNA who, when she's on duty, is insistent that my mother get up in the morning, as "it's not good for someone who's had pneumonia to be lying around." I don't know much about her, I suspect she's very private, but I treasure this woman's concern.
    In addition, partly as a tease to my mother to get her going, partly because I just love her and love to let people know what she's like and partly because people seem interested, I often "tell [my mother's] secrets" about her striking habits, now and throughout her life, "in front of [her] back", as my mother and I say, and this is fun for everyone involved.
    Since I am this way in or out of a facility when Mom and I are together in "mixed company", I hadn't thought that this as one of the reasons why staff becomes involved with us. But, you know, people are people, no matter where you go, and everyone, including my mother and I, hungers to be recognized and known, even if some, here and there, are shy about putting themselves out there. The more we become known, I think, the more we are likely to want to know.

    Quick report on yesterday: I arrived back at the facility before Mom was finished with her rehab, so got a chance to review, immediately, with the PT, how Mom performed. She did really well. She's back walking with her walker; not with the best of form but, oh well, at least she's walking, and she's walking a lot. She's standing and transferring herself from sitting place to sitting place with ease and with great technique. She continues to work hard, and she's usually ready for a nap when it's all done, but her spark and her sparkle continue to improve day by day. She and I are both very excited, and the PT's love her spirit. So, I think we're on our way, again. Time for me to start addressing the house, when I can, since we're both beginning to see, again, that she'll be home, soon. She's eating well, as usual, is lagging a bit with liquids, as usual, but easily taking direction on that and "her will and spirit remain strong and high, respectively". Instead of thinking, "Wow, is this woman really ailing from lung cancer?" my tendency is to think, "Hmmm...so this is Mom 'on lung cancer' at this time. O.K. I'll keep an open mind and we'll see where we go from here." Predictions, I think, can be helpful, and, as well, are little more than suggestions of what one should be aware, in case. Not sure, though, what my mother's case will reveal, so, we'll take it a day at a time, and do out best to adjust as we go. Can't do much more than that.
    Time to pack up for the trail.
    Later.
- posted by Gail Rae @ 05:49   email  this post