Greetings from Ground Zero

ok, folks...mom is doing great, just wonderful. I can't believe it myself. In the 10 days or so that mom has been at Walker we've worked out the glitches. Her stockings are on everyday, the pee pants situation is getting under control and she's doing well. I talk to the staff every day so they know that I'm an active participant. It takes everyone a little while to figure out the care that mom needs.  I've met some family members of other residents and they have given me some valuable insight into the machinations of Walker.
So far, I've just been focusing on seeing mom every day and trying to get some extracurricular activities set up for her. My lame attempt at opening an account for mom totally backfired. It was like a textbook fraud case: "You see, my elderly mother recently moved to MN and I would like to open an account so I, I mean she, can receive her VA and SS checks. Well, she has dementia so she can't knowingly sign any documents and no, I'm neither the POA or the Health Care Surrogate...just a loving daughter who is not trying to swindle her. Really." Even the banker laughed. 

Movin' on up

It's official..mom's moving to Minnesota on October 12th. That's next Thursday. Lorraine is busy packing up boxes and sending them my way. Char will be coming up a week or two after mom settles in to help me with administrative details and other loose ends.

One of the parents in my Daycare Co-op had a grandmother and an aunt at Walker Methodist and had nothing but great things to say about the place. She said that there are plenty of activities for the residents and it's just a matter of scheduling it and showing up frequently so the staff knows that mom's got squeaky wheels. So far, that tactic worked with getting her a spot so I'll stick with the program.