Moving On

      I can't believe it has been a month since I posted.  The past few weeks have been filled with moves and changes, which is partially the reason for my absence.   The other reason is my involvement with Second Life, which took on a life of its own in August.
     But since I am here in this reality, I'll only talk about it.   August in Arizona wasn't all that great.  I'm a creature of habit, and I don't take change easily.   And I don't particularly like it when other people make changes that affect me either.  Once I'm in a comfortable rut I like to stay there.   But the universe had other plans.

      The major change involved my mother.   As you know from earlier posts, she turned 95 this year.   For the past five years she has been living in a "Seniors Executive Apartments" called The Waterford.   This seniors-only complex provides lunch and dinner and has a nurse on site during weekdays.   The staff organizes trips and entertainment routinely.  They have a "doctor" bus that takes the residents to medical appointments, too.  It really is a wonderful place, and it was  perfect for Mother when she moved there. 
       At that time she was a young 89, still driving and had her own car.  About the only things she couldn't do were balance her checkbook and keep her medicines straight.   I had taken care of her checkbook for years, mostly because she didn't want to do it.   I didn't mind, and she was happy to be rid of that chore.   When she moved to Waterford, I hired someone to come in daily to make sure she took her pills correctly, which solved that problem.  Since she was able to drive short distances to the grocery, doctor, and little shops, Mother never used their bus system.   When she gave up driving a year or two later, I had to arrange transportation to the doctor because she didn't want to use the bus.   Arranging transportation was getting progressively harder, but I was managing.        

      Then other problems arrived.   The medicine person became unreliable and had to be replaced.   Waterford changed some of its policies.  Mother kept aging, and her memory continued to fail.   Still, she liked it there and didn't want to move.   I did try to get her to move last year but she balked, and I caved.   (I'm beginning to see where my dislike of change comes from....) 

      But where aging is concerned, time never stands still.   

      I had worried about a crisis happening.  That had occurred to many of the elderly parents of friends or acquaintances, and occasionally it was tragic.   When it happened to Mother, it was fortunately not a big crisis.  It didn't incapacitate her, but it was a wake up call to me.   It was plain that she could no longer safely live in a seniors apartment complex.  She was no longer capable of handling even a small emergency on her own.  Ironically, there were at least 3 people hired to do things for her, but none of them noticed the problem or called me about it.   Even more worrisome, although I talk to her by phone routinely, Mother couldn't remember to tell me that something had occurred that needed fixing.   It was clear-- She had to move to a more structured facility. 

                   So here is her new home, The Inn at Renaissance Village.  http://innatrenaissancevillage.com/   

     A true assisted living, there are attendants to make sure she not only gets her medicine, but also a shower, clean clothes, and three meals a day.    The adjustment wasn't easy, but she is now enjoying it as much as her limitations allow.  She plays Bingo and visits with people.   The food is delicious.   

     Getting older is no picnic, I'm discovering.  Posts in the future may start to deal with some of these issues.  I'm having a real problem finding information, or correct information, about various issues related to elder care.  And the politicians are truly clueless.  

     But for now, at least, Mother is safe and content.

     The other change that occurred involved a co-worker.  My favorite co-worker left the office to seek fame in the big city.   (No fortunes are there in this economy, but that will come soon.)   He is a bright, young attorney, and it was always fun to watch him discover the law as it IS, not as its taught in law school.  He has a funny sense humor, too, which will carry him a long way.    I miss him, but he keeps in touch and seems to be adjusting very quickly to his new job.  

     So that was August.   

     We did take a quick weekend trip to Prescott at the beginning of the month to celebrate our anniversary and escape the heat.   The weather here has been hot, hot, and hotter.

      Now that we're into September, I'm hoping that nothing changes for a long time.  Except the weather, of course.