Tuesday 2 February 2016

Mum back in nursing home but a bit confused

I had some errands to look after today so I wasn't able to get up to the nursing home. In the morning there was the dermatologist to visit. Then I went to the NSW Government service office to renew my driver's license. On the way back home I stopped off in the city to get a haircut. Later on, around lunchtime, I went to the psychiatrist to have a chat about things. It's always restful to talk about how my life is going.

I had a nap in the afternoon then made dinner and put on the laundry to run. After dinner I called the nursing home to find out how mum has been doing today, the first day since she got back there from the hospital yesterday. The staffer who answered the phone said mum was doing alright although she is complaining about pain in her shoulder. Mum had been talking about this pain since the hospital admission, although it's the first time I'd heard about it. While she was in hospital they did an X-ray which showed she had a plate in her shoulder, as well as some arthritis. The plate was news to me. I don't know when it was put in.

The staffer also said that mum was a bit confused, and was asking where her husband was. The staff reoriented mum when she said this and helped her through her period of confusion. I will be going up to the nursing home tomorrow to see how she is doing. If it isn't raining we should be able to get out to the park during the morning.

The hospital admission mum has just had is her first for this year. As I was saying to my psychiatrist, the admissions are becoming more frequent. I don't know when she will have to go back to the hospital, but when she doesn't respond to the nursing home staff they will always call me and ask if they should send her to the hospital. If she doesn't go, of course, she will die. I have to make sure I keep my phone handy at all times.

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